


Perfection

by t_dragon



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - College/University, Ballet Dancer Kim Jongin | Kai, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Minor Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Singer Do Kyungsoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-11 01:09:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 53,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15961475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_dragon/pseuds/t_dragon
Summary: Ballet dancer Jongin is well on his way of working himself into an early grave when he meets vocalist Kyungsoo. Can Kyungsoo help save him, or is all hope lost for Jongin?





	1. Chapter I

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on AFF May 11-Aug 9 2017

 The clock was nearing eleven when Kyungsoo finally dragged himself out of the practice room.

 Oh, he knew it would do him no good to practice himself into exhaustion and not get enough rest, but he was worried about the song. He wanted it to be perfect - his inner perfectionist craved it - but it was far from it.

 With a sigh, Kyungsoo locked the door behind him, before dragging his feet down the hallway. He had gotten an insanely low amount of sleep lately, and it was showing.

 Pulling out his phone, he barely raised a brow at the amount of texts Baekhyun had sent him. That boy surely had no life. But Kyungsoo did not mind (too much). Just as he was about to answer, Kyungsoo’s ears picked up on a sound.

 It was not unusual for this part of the school to be in use even during late evening since it contained practice rooms for both the music majors and the dance majors, but Kyungsoo was pretty sure the place had been completely deserted when he had last taken a break to get some water. Had someone come in after that? Most people tried to get  _ out _ of the school as  _ quickly _ as possible, not  _ in _ as  _ late _ as possible.

 Curiosity flooding his vein, Kyungsoo started sneaking towards where the sounds were coming for, whilst at the same time ignoring the saying ‘curiosity killed the cat’ and the question about why he was sneaking, considering he was allowed to be there in the first place.

 He ended up in front of one of the smaller dance studios, the sound he was hearing turning out to be a song. Sitting down on his knees, Kyungsoo could just barely peek in through the glass window showing the studio. The lights were dim, but they were plenty to see the lone figure dancing in front of the mirror. Ballet, it seemed. Dark sweatpants hung low on narrow hips, and the white shirt was almost completely see-through as it clung to sweaty skin.

 Wait, ballet to a rock song?

 Kyungsoo’s eyes widened as the boy in front of him went up on his toes -  _ pointe _ , was that right? - spinning around and executing complicated moves in time to the music. No, this was not classical ballet, or whatever. Mixed into the routine was moves that looked more like modern dance, some even almost hiphop-like.

 It was entrancing, and Kyungsoo suddenly did not care if he got caught, on his knees, staring at the dancing boy. Not that he think the boy would notice him in the first place, considering he was so focused on his dancing, but still.

 The boy stopped with an agitated spin, stomping over to the stereo to replay the song, before going back to the center and beginning the choreography again. There was something about him that Kyungsoo recognized, something that seemed to haunt both of them. And that something turned the performance into a very fascinating thing, but not entrancing anymore.

 Perfection.

 In the middle of a very complicated-looking spin, the boy suddenly lost his footing, not having enough time to catch himself and crashing shoulder first into the hard floor. Even from over here, Kyungsoo could see that the boy was in pain, and without thinking, he scrambled to his feet and headed for the door, flinging it open and rushing inside.

 At the sound of footsteps, the boy forced himself to push up off of the floor, large eyes filled with shock and…  _ fear _ .

 “Are you okay?” Kyungsoo exclaimed, falling to his knees next to the boy and reaching out to touch the injured shoulder.

 The boy flinched, pulling back, and Kyungsoo realized he had just tried to touch a complete stranger.

 “Uh, I’m sorry, but I saw you fall, and it looked really painful,” Kyungsoo said, heat flooding his cheeks. “Is your shoulder fine?”

 The boy’s eyes traveled up and down Kyungsoo’s figure as he mindlessly rubbed said shoulder.

 “It’s fine,” he finally mumbled, and Kyungsoo was surprised by how deep his voice was.

 They sat in silence for a few minutes, just watching each other, before Kyungsoo found his voice.

 “Do you know what your problem is?”

 The boy frowned, Kyungsoo realizing how offending his words could sound.

 “I mean, with your dancing,” Kyungsoo continued, keeping himself from facepalming. “You’re trying to get it technically perfect, but then you lose the passion and fire that’s needed to make the performance truly outstanding.”

 “What do you know about dancing? I don’t remember seeing you in any of my classes,” the boy muttered, seemingly more offended by Kyungsoo’s analysis.

 “I’m a vocal major, not dance,” Kyungsoo said, small smile on his lips as he extended a hand. “Do Kyungsoo.”

 The boy looked at his hand as if he was seeing an extraterrestrial being, or, more likely, thinking about if he should accept it or not. A few (many) seconds later, he slowly wiped his own hand on his pants, before taking Kyungsoo’s hand.

 “Kim Jongin.”

 “Nice to meet you, Kim Jongin. What are you doing here so late? I thought everyone cleared out ages ago,” Kyungsoo said as he sat down more comfortably on the floor, legs crossed.

 Jongin shrugged, glancing away from the other.

 “I was practicing at home, but… Well, it’s more quiet and nice here,” he explained, and Kyungsoo thought he saw a tinge of red on the dancer’s cheeks that was not related to the demanding routine.

 “Is that so? Well, I think it’s about time to take a break, considering the fall I just witnessed,” Kyungsoo said, slipping into sternness. “You’ve obviously practiced for a long time, and you’ll only hurt yourself more if you continue now.”

 “No, no breaks, I need to get back-” Jongin began before being interrupted by what sounded like a growl. Both boys were silent as Jongin wrapped his arms around his stomach.

 Pursing his lips, Kyungsoo raised a brow and pointed towards Jongin’s stomach, as it was obvious what the sound was.

 “You were saying what? I’m quite hungry, too, let’s get something to eat. It’s getting late anyway.”

 “I can’t do that, I need to keep practicing, but thank you for the offer, Kyungsoo-ssi,” Jongin said, looking away from Kyungsoo.

 “‘Kyungsoo-ssi’? I think that’s a bit exaggerated, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said with a laugh. “What year are you in, by the way?”

 “Freshman,” Jongin answered.

 Kyungsoo tilted his head, mouth forming a small ‘o’. “Really? I thought you were my age. But since I’m only a year older, you can call me ‘Kyungsoo’, no need for the honorifics.”

 Jongin’s forehead wrinkled as he frowned, looking very troubled, and - well, adorable. Like a puppy.

 “Okay, call me ‘hyung’ if it’s easier for you,” Kyungsoo said with a chuckle, before getting up and dusting off his jeans. “Come on, now, let hyung take you out for some food. You need the energy to keep practicing, anyway.”

 Kyungsoo stretched out a hand to help the other up from the floor, but Jongin just stared at it.

 “Jongin, come on,” Kyungsoo mumbled, sighing. “You’re hungry, and you know you’ll never be able to perfect your routine on an empty stomach…”

 Clenching his jaw at the logic in Kyungsoo’s words, Jongin finally reached up and took Kyungsoo’s hand, letting the older pull him up. As soon as he was standing, Kyungsoo looked the other boy up and down from close up.

 “Wow, you  _ really _ need some food. You look like you’re about to starve away! And how are you asian and that tall?”

 Jongin gave a small smile at the words - something Kyungsoo had not seen until now. And he had to admit, Jongin’s full lips curled upwards was a really attractive sight.

 “It’s not me who’s tall, it’s you who’s short, hyung,” Jongin said as he walked over to where his bag was.

 His back to Kyungsoo, Jongin quickly pulled on a hoodie, before changing out of his ballet shoes. Kyungsoo thought he heard a soft hiss, but before he could further investigate it, Jongin had already pulled on socks and his shoes, hiding whatever was hurting. Of course, Kyungsoo had heard about how horribly injured dancers’ feet could become, especially ballet dancers who forced themselves up on the tip of their toes, and considering how into his practice Jongin was, Kyungsoo really did not feel like looking at his feet.

 When he was finished with lacing his Converse up, Jongin grabbed his bag, picked up his phone from the stereo, and went back to Kyungsoo, dragging his dark hair back from his forehead and pushing a cap down on top of it.

 “Done?” Kyungsoo asked, Jongin nodded, and they exited the dance studio.

 They argued over the food as they headed for the school exit, with Kyungsoo asking what Jongin felt like and Jongin saying Kyungsoo should chose, since he was the one to suggest getting food, after all.

 “We’ll just see when we get to some restaurants!” Kyungsoo exclaimed, dragging a hand through his hair and making it stand up. “What was the song you were dancing to, by the way? I’ve never seen someone dance ballet to a  _ rock _ song!”

 The small smile was back in place, and Kyungsoo savored it as Jongin pulled out his phone and went through it. Soon, a melody filled the air, quickly joined by a female vocalist.

 “They’re called Blackbriar, and the song is Preserved Roses,” Jongin said, English words rolling off of his tongue naturally. “You can dance to more or less everything, as long as it has a rhythm, though I do agree it is kind of rare to do ballet to rock. I find it fun, though.”

 “Interesting, and impressive,” Kyungsoo said in an appreciative tone. He tried to make sense of the lyrics, but his English was quite rusty, and so he settled for listening to the singer’s voice instead.

 It was clear and high, and Kyungsoo found himself rather enjoying it.

 “Pretty good song,” Kyungsoo said as soon as it was over and Jongin put the phone back into his sweatpants.

 Jongin looked at him as if to see if he was being sarcastic, but Kyungsoo looked back with his large owl eyes, not a hint of joke in them.

 “Yeah, I agree. I don’t completely understand the lyrics, but I really like the feeling behind them,” Jongin began, his small smile widening until it showed off his perfect teeth. “It feels dark and greedy and- ah, I’m not good at explaining it properly…”

 Kyungsoo patted Jongin’s back, and the younger looked down at him with an expression that looked as if he had just come back from a place far away.

 “Don’t worry, I think I get it,” Kyungsoo grinned, a blush creeping over Jongin’s cheeks. “But I still think you need more  _ feeling _ behind it, not just technical perfection.”

 Jongin looked positively conflicted over this, as he began worrying his lower lip, pulling his cap lower down on his head.

 “I… don’t know,” he finally said in a low voice. “Ballet is a very precise dance.”

 “But it’s not a full ballet routine, is it?”

 At Kyungsoo’s words, Jongin looked down at the older with surprise.

 “How did you know, hyung?” he asked, and at Kyungsoo’s frown, he held up both hands. “No offense! But you said you’re a vocal major? And I tried to adjust the moves to flow as perfectly as possible with the ballet, even some of my classmates have a hard time separating the moves.”

 “What can I say, I’m just that good,” Kyungsoo answered with a nonchalant shrug, but he was not able to keep the smile off of his face for too long, and the two boys broke out laughing together.

 They were still laughing as they stumbled out of the doors to the school, and Kyungsoo’s phone began to ring. Frowning, he pulled it out to see that it was his, hm,  _ best _ friend calling.

 “What do you want?” Kyungsoo asked in a dry voice when he answered.

 He was met with a loud and exaggerated gasp on the other end.

 “That really hurts my feelings, Soo! Can’t I call my best friend just to see what he’s doing?” Baekhyun exclaimed. Kyungsoo could picture him standing with a hand over his heart, and was 99% sure that was actually happening. They had been friends for a long time, after all…

 “You rarely call just to see what I’m doing, and when you do, you mostly have another motive, too,” Kyungsoo shot back, glancing over at Jongin who were standing and watching him with veiled eyes.

 “I’m hitting two birds with one stone, Soo, it’s called being effective,” Baekhyun said, and Kyungsoo could almost  _ hear _ him roll his eyes. “Anyway, I was just seeing what you were doing, since I’m lonely.”

 “Sorry, Baek, but I have other company. I’ll see you tomorrow, bye!” Kyungsoo rushed out.

 “Okay, bye- WAIT, OTHER COMPANY, WHAT ARE YOU TALK-” was heard in the time between Kyungsoo taking the phone away from his ear, and ending the call.

 With a smile, Kyungsoo looked up at Jongin again. “So, where were we?”

 Jongin gave a slight frown. “Uh, you know, it’s okay, you can got to your friend, I should continue practice anyway.”

 Kyungsoo snorted as he took a hold of Jongin’s wrist and forcefully pulled him with him.

 “Sorry, Jongin, but you’re not getting out of eating that easily! And I spend almost every day with Baekhyun, it’s healthy to miss each other a little every now and then. Also, the lord knows you’re an easier person to be around, and that’s just from like ten minutes of knowing you…”

 “He can’t be that bad?” Jongin mumbled as he let himself get dragged along, not missing the look Kyungsoo shot him. “Right?”

 Kyungsoo laughed at that. “Don’t worry, I’ll let you meet him some day!”

 They continued on their quest for food, Kyungsoo still holding on to the younger’s wrist, as if worried Jongin would try to escape.

 Truth be told, even though Jongin knew he  _ really _ should keep practicing, he found himself not wishing to be anywhere else, and not minding the strong grip on his wrist either. It was a long time since he went out with a friend, and it was  _ nice _ . To relax and just not think about all of his responsibilities and training and school, it felt amazing, if yet a bit scary.

 “Have you thought about what you want to eat?” Kyungsoo asked as he glanced back at Jongin, his plump lips formed into a heart-shaped smile that managed to draw a smile from Jongin, too.

 “I thought you were going to chose, hyung,” Jongin shot back, liking the feeling of teasing someone like this.

 When was the last time he had done that, for real? Must have been years…

 Kyungsoo rolled his eyes - he seemed to do that a lot - and looked forwards again, scanning the busy street in front of them. Jongin felt more grateful about the grip on his wrist, making sure they stayed together.

 Even though Jongin had suggested splitting up so that Kyungsoo could go be with his friend, Jongin was probably the one least willing to let go. The skin under the two of Kyungsoo’s fingertips that were not behind cloth barrier  _ burned _ .

 “How about that?” Kyungsoo asked, pulling Jongin’s mind back from the fingertips to the present as he looked up at where Kyungsoo was pointing.

 Eyes grew wide as he balked, taking in the fast food sign in front of them. Jongin could almost  _ feel _ what the food would do to his poor body…

 Kyungsoo chuckled at the terrified expression on Jongin’s face, guessing that the younger rarely ate fast food. Not that surprising, considering his lithe body and dedication to dancing.

 “They have chicken burgers, and it’s okay to cheat once, right?” Kyungsoo drawled, luring the younger with him.

 “I-I guess…? I mean, I like chicken…,” Jongin mumbled, eyes darting between Kyungsoo and the restaurant.

 “Great!” Kyungsoo exclaimed, tugging hard enough on Jongin’s wrist to make the younger stumble forwards as they rushed inside, not noticing the curious blonde boy outside who had been contemplating calling his best friend again.

 Baekhyun’s lips slowly spread into a smirk as he saw the tall boy his best friend was basically  _ holding hands with _ . Kyungsoo’s style was hard to pin down, Baekhyun even being confused with which team the short boy played for, but if Baekhyun’s instincts were right, the new boy looked like a perfect match.


	2. Chapter II

 It took Jongin almost ten minutes to decide what to eat, much to the chagrin of the waitress behind the register. Kyungsoo deployed one of his stern looks towards her, though, to keep her from rushing the poor boy.

 “Uh, I guess… A chicken burger?” Jongin finally said in a weak voice, and with a simple eye roll, the waitress punched the order in.

 Kyungsoo added some to Jongin’s order, before he ordered his own meal, and before Jongin had the chance to take out his wallet, the older had already paid for it all.

 “Hyung! I can pay for my own food!” Jongin almost hissed as they took their trays with them and headed for a table.

 “Sure, but I was the one to force you here, so I payed,” Kyungsoo said nonchalantly, sitting down and placing his bag on the chair next to him, not wanting it on the floor. Jongin followed suit, sitting down across from Kyungsoo, a sullen look on his face. “Don’t worry, Jongin, I’ll let you pay the next time.”

 A small flush spread over Jongin’s cheeks, and he bent his head, suddenly very interested in the text on the paper on the tray, but Kyungsoo saw it already.

 Kyungsoo was not the only one who saw it. A light chuckle was suddenly heard, but before Kyungsoo could turn around to look, an arm crept around his neck, forcing him into a chokehold.

 “Well, well, well! What do we have here?” an annoying voice mumbled in Kyungsoo’s ear, making Kyungsoo groan. “Making new friends without me? That’s a new one!”

 “I’m guessing you’re Baekhyun?” Jongin said before Kyungsoo could get a word out, head slightly tilted at the abuse going on before him.

 “You are absolutely right, other company! Very nice to meet you, who might you be?” Baekhyun asked as he released Kyungsoo and slipped into the chair next to him, also slipping into his charming persona.

 “Jongin,” the other answered after he took Baekhyun’s outstretched hand after a moment’s hesitation. “Nice to meet you, too.”

 “Have you installed spyware or something on my phone?!” Kyungsoo hissed, rubbing his throat. Baekhyun had not applied much pressure, but just the feeling of having something around his throat was uncomfortable.

 “As if,” Baekhyun snorted, annoying persona back in place when he glanced back at Kyungsoo. “I was heading home and saw the two of you, and found it interesting.”

 “Interesting?” Jongin asked, frowning.

 Baekhyun turned back to Jongin, placing both elbows on the table and winking, with his stupid rectangular smile in place.

 “Indeed, dear Jongin! You see, Soo here and I have been friends for a  _ long _ time, and it is extremely rare for him to befriend new people on his own. Most of his friends were people  _ I _ met and befriended. So I wanted to see what you were all about!”

 Jongin’s cheeks heated up once more, and Kyungsoo gently slapped Baekhyun’s face away.

 “That’s not completely true, and do you see what I mean now?” Kyungsoo muttered.

 With a low chuckle, Jongin nodded. He could see why Kyungsoo found Baekhyun annoying, but he could also see that their friendship was true. Once upon a time, he had had a friendship like that, but it was long gone now. And even though Jongin missed it, he did not wallow in the sorrow left behind.

 Picking up some fries, thinking he should try eating it since Kyungsoo had payed for it all, Jongin observed the two friends fooling around. If he was to be truthfully honest, he missed this to the point of aching, but he rarely let himself be truthfully honest. Not to himself, and not to anyone else. Why would he? It only hurt the people he cared the most about. Surely he could live with a little piece of himself missing, as long as it made others happy?

 “So, did you like it?” Kyungsoo suddenly asked, heart-shaped smile beaming at Jongin.

 Blinking, Jongin looked down, and realized he had completely ravished his fries without thinking about it.

 “Uh, yeah, they were nice,” Jongin stuttered, surprised by himself.

 “What, you don’t eat junk food?” Baekhyun asked. When Jongin shook his head, Baekhyun sat up straight, disbelief etched into his features. “What?! Really?!”

 “He’s a dance major, Baek,” Kyungsoo explained with little chuckle that went straight to Jongin’s heart.

 Baekhyun’s entire demeanor changed, and he looked almost  _ sly _ at the new information.

 “Dance major, huh? Good choice, Soo, I’ve heard they really know how to work their hi-” Baekhyun drawled before Kyungsoo slapped a hand over the other’s mouth, almost tipping him backwards in the process. His cheeks were burning as if someone had put them on fire, and when Jongin’s mind processed what Baekhyun had said and meant, his own cheeks also lit up, until they matched each other.

 After some wrestling, Baekhyun managed to pry Kyungsoo’s fingers away from his lips, and as soon as they were off, he began talking again.

 “Oh, he’s a pure one, too? Look at that precious little baby blushing, he’s just like you, Soo!” Baekhyun cooed, making Jongin’s cheeks burn harder.

 “Shut up!” Kyungsoo hissed, throwing a fry at Baekhyun who looked  _ very _ offended by the action.

 But even though Baekhyun had fun teasing the two boys, he really did not want to mess this up between them, and quieted down with a content smile on his lips.

 “So, what are you planning on doing after this?” Baekhyun asked after a few seconds of silence.

 Kyungsoo and Jongin looked up at each other, shrugging at the same time, and if Baekhyun’s self control had been just a smidgen worse, he would have started cooing over them again.

 “I’m going to go home and sleep, which Jongin should do too, but he’ll probably end up practicing and hurting himself again,” Kyungsoo answered, ignoring the protesting dance major.

 “Ugh, but that’s so boring!” Baekhyun exclaimed, before perking up. “I know! Let’s go to a karaoke bar and sing!”

 Kyungsoo pinned him with a deadpan stare. “I’ve spent the entire day singing, Baek. No thank you. Ask your girlfriend, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind…”

 For the first time since Jongin had met Baekhyun, the latter seemingly lost his speaking ability as pink crept up onto his cheeks.

 “She’s not my girlfriend!” Baekhyun hissed, making Kyungsoo chuckle. Jongin just looked between the two, a confused frown on his face.

 “Baekhyun here accidentally got himself into a drunken one-night stand, and now the girl is trying to get him into a relationship,” Kyungsoo explained when he noticed Jongin’s confusion.

 “Funnily enough, she made me realize that I enjoy dick more than vagina,” Baekhyun muttered, making Jongin choke on the sip he was taking. “Calm down, calm down, I won’t attack you!”

 “I think he choked because of your bluntness, not your gayness,” Kyungsoo supplied, Jongin nodding as he tried to resume breathing.

 “Oh, really? Well, I can make you choke on other things,” Baekhyun offered with a wink at the newly revived Jongin, this time making Kyungsoo choke on his drink. “Calm down, Soo, I’m kidding.”

 “This is why I never bring you out into public,” Kyungsoo muttered, heart warmed by the snorting chuckle Jongin let out.

 Before Baekhyun could come up with a comeback, his eyes widened and cheeks flushed, and he looked down at his hands in his lap. Turning to look in the direction Baekhyun had been looking, Kyungsoo caught sight of two tall boys, one he seemed to recognize…

 “Was that Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo asked, apparently a little too loud for Baekhyun’s taste, since a hand came crashing down over his lips, and a loud hush in his ear.

 “Keep it down!” Baekhyun hissed, making a few people around them turn to look.

 Kyungsoo wrenched his head out of Baekhyun’s grip, looking back with a frown.

 “Man, this must be your longest crush to date. Maybe you should try doing something about it?”

 As if all the air had went out of him, Baekhyun slumped back against the chair, looking positively deflated and depressed.

 “As if… He’s one of the cool kids, and I’m not…,” Baekhyun mumbled, low enough for Kyungsoo and Jongin to have to lean in to hear. “How can I even approach him? ‘Hey, dude, I really like your creepy-looking smile, wanna hang out?’. Yeah, as if…”

 “I know Chanyeol,” Jongin suddenly piped up, cowering back a little as two pair of eyes latched on to him. “I mean, I know some of his friends and therefore him…”

 “YOU DO?!” Baekhyun exclaimed, standing up and slapping his hands on the table in front of him. As even more people turned to look, Kyungsoo quickly forced him to sit down again.

 Jongin, who was looking slightly terrified, just nodded.

 “Soo! This must be fated!” Baekhyun said, turning to grip Kyungsoo’s shirt and shake him back and forth with what seemed like tears in his eyes. “This is so wonderful! You’ve always had a great sense about who you befriend!”

 “Obviously not, since I befriended you,” Kyungsoo said in an amused tone, the insult completely flying over Baekhyun’s head as the latter was still completely in his own love-filled thoughts. But Jongin heard, and Jongin chuckled, and that was enough.

 After Baekhyun had left them in peace long enough to actually finish their food, the trio quickly disposed of the trash, before heading outside. The night was still a bit on the colder side, and Kyungsoo shivered, cursing the fact that he had not brought his jacket. Not that he had known that he would stay out  _ this _ late, but still.

 “Where are we heading now?” Kyungsoo asked, looking at Jongin, but before the younger could answer, he held up a hand. “And no, you’re not allowed to go back to school to practice. You need to sleep, and you know it!”

 Jongin seemingly gave up, his shoulders sagging as he nodded at Kyungsoo’s logic. He was good with the logic.

 “Do you live in the dorms?” Baekhyun asked.

 Jongin shook his head. “No, my parents own a house here, but it’s pretty close to the dorms.”

 “Well, we can walk together, then!” Baekhyun exclaimed, hooking his arm with one of Jongin’s. “So, tell me - oh, shit, you’re strong! - tell me more about Chanyeol…”

 As Jongin indulged in Baekhyun’s love interest (he’s tall and lanky and has no control over his feet, he can literally trip over nothing, though it’s become better lately, and he knows how to play a few instruments and rap), Kyungsoo walked on Jongin’s other side, silently basking in the youngest’s voice. It was nice, deep and smooth, and Kyungsoo found himself thinking that he could get used to it.

 All too soon, the walk ended, as they came to a stop outside of the dorms both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun were living in.

 “Well, this is our stop!” Baekhyun said, letting go of Jongin. “It was really nice to meet you, and especially to get some insider information, Jongin!”

 Jongin awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah, no worries… Glad I could help… And nice to meet you, too. And thank you for the food, hyung. It was kind of nice to try something new, even though it most probably is destroying me from the inside.”

 Kyungsoo could not help but grin at the joke, shaking his head. “You’re welcome, Jongin, and sorry about having to survive with this one,” thumb pointing at Baekhyun, “Like I said, even from ten minutes of knowing you, I knew that you were an easier person to be around.”

 “It’s okay, I had fun,” Jongin answered, his own grin bright to the point where he almost blinded Kyungsoo. “I guess I’ll see you around? Bye, hyung, bye, Baekhyun!”

 “Bye, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said as he waved at the other. “And don’t you dare go practice now!”

 Jongin did not bother with turning around, he simply held a hand over his head in a goodbye, but Kyungsoo could hear his deep laughter from where he was standing. Gently smiling, Kyungsoo turned around to come face to face with an ecstatic-looking Baekhyun.

 “Well, now… A date, huh? I’m so proud of you, Soo!” Baekhyun mocked, before glancing at the retreating form. “He called you ‘hyung’, is he really younger than you? Because he looks older.”

 Kyungsoo found that not even Baekhyun’s teasing could destroy his good mood, and simply pushed past his best friend.

 “Well, he looks older than you, too, Baek, but yeah, he’s a year younger than me. And it wasn’t a date. I accidentally ended up seeing him take a pretty bad fall whilst practicing, and convinced him to get something to eat since his stomach growled in hunger. Nothing more than that.”

 Baekhyun eyed Kyungsoo as they headed inside of the building. “Nothing more my ass. Don’t think I can’t see anything with these beautiful eyes of mine, Soo. We’ve been friends for long enough for me to be able to notice when you’re happy about something, and you’re practically  _ glowing _ right now. If I didn’t know better, I would almost think that you’ve gotten yourself a crush…”

 Kyungsoo froze at Baekhyun’s words.  _ Crush? _ Really? What, just because he felt bad about the fall and decided to help the boy? Nah…

 “I don’t have a crush on Jongin,” Kyungsoo spoke in a careful tone. “I mean, sure, he’s quite good-looking and has a nice personality, but I don’t have a crush on him. We barely know each other, we’re just friends.”

 Baekhyun raised both brows. “Mhm. Sure. Whatever floats your boat, Soo. Was that why you didn’t get his number, even though even I did?”

 Kyungsoo’s eyes grew even larger as he realized that, shit, he had forgotten to ask for Jongin’s number, and,  _ double-shit _ , Baekhyun had Jongin’s number?!

 “Baek! Don’t you dare do something stupid with it! You do not deserve to have it!”

 But Baekhyun just giggled panicky as he raced away from the murderous Kyungsoo.


	3. Chapter III

 “You look like shit, Soo. What happened?”

 Kyungsoo looked up at the voice of Jongdae, seeing worry in the older’s eyes. He pointed in Baekhyun’s direction, who had his hands (eyes) full with trying to find Chanyeol in the crowd, and Jongdae gave a knowing nod.

 Jongdae had been Baekhyun’s room mate since their freshman year, and since the two were so alike, they had really hit it off with each other. Which meant Kyungsoo had two annoying friends by the time he joined the university. Not that he complained. At least too much…

 “Did he drag you off to karaoke again?” Jongdae asked, sympathy in his voice, as he sat down by the table.

 “No,” Baekhyun interjected with a sigh, turning back to the two of them after failing to find his crush. “I didn’t, since Kyungsoo was on a  _ date _ .”

 Jongdae turned with large eyes on Kyungsoo, signature cat smile in place. Oh, great, he joined the dark side, retreating his support.

 “Date?” Jongdae echoed, but Kyungsoo shook his head.

 “I wasn’t on a date, I just went to grab something to eat with a friend,” Kyungsoo explained, earning himself a confused look.

 “‘Friend’? What ‘friend’? You have like  _ two _ at this place, and both of them are sitting here,” Jongdae said, pointing between himself and Baekhyun.

 Baekhyun smirked, leaning closer. “Oh, but Kyungsoo made a new ‘friend’ yesterday… Yes, indeed, a tall dance major, nonetheless…”

 “Dancer, huh?” Jongdae asked, mirroring the smirk. “Well, you know what they say about their hips…”

 Kyungsoo quickly held up a hand, cheeks starting to heat up. “Yes, I am very much well aware of it, since Baek had the  _ decency _ to announce it yesterday in front of my new friend!”

 Baekhyun just shrugged, not looking sorry at all.

 “Okay, good, but I want to know more. Tall dance major? Who is he?” Jongdae asked, looking at Kyungsoo for two seconds, before turning to Baekhyun and repeating himself.

 “Oh, Dae, you should have been there! They were so adorable together!” Baekhyun gushed, slapping both hands over his cheeks, starry-eyed. “Dance major, freshman, his name is Jongin, he’s really tall and dorky, kind of, and as innocent as our dear Soo here!”

 Jongdae’s forehead came together into a frown as he listened to Baekhyun.

 “Jongin? Hm, it can’t be…,” he muttered to himself.

 “What can’t be? You know him?” Kyungsoo asked, finally speaking up.

 Jongdae quickly glanced up at him, smoothing his features out into a smile as he shrugged.

 “Don’t think so. I mean, I have a cousin whose name is Jongin, but I don’t think it’s him,” Jongdae explained.

 Kyungsoo’s heart stopped beating, before it resumed in a much higher pace.

 “Kim Jongin? Dancer, ballet, tall with dark brown hair and pretty big lips, perfect teeth and reminds you of a puppy?” Kyungsoo rushed, not caring about the fact that he might sound as if he actually did have a crush on Jongin.

 Jongdae looked pretty shocked by the sudden questions, but he tried to catch them all.

 “Uh, well, right name, he loves dancing and trained ballet for many years, and I haven’t seen him in a long time but most of it sounds right? I mean, he wasn’t tall last time I met him, but that was ages ago?” Jongdae answered, biting his lower lip. “I don’t think it’s him, though, I’m pretty sure his parents wouldn’t let him go to this university…”

 “Why not?” Kyungsoo asked, barely noticing the fact that Baekhyun seemed strangely uninterested in the current discussion, fully focused on his phone.

 Jongdae gave an uncomfortable laugh. “Well, you know, they’re pretty… prestigious people. They want their son to be perfect, and that means getting a dance major from a school that is actually fully dedicated to dance, not a school like this, where you can get many different majors… Sort of…”

 “Oh, is that so…,” Kyungsoo mumbled. “Would be pretty neat if it’s your cousin, though, wouldn’t it?”

 Jongdae brightened. “Yeah, it would, I haven’t seen him in the longest time… We used to play together during family gatherings and stuff, but then they moved away and we sort of lost contact… I don’t think his parents like the fact that  _ my _ parents weren’t as strict with me as they were with him…”

 Baekhyun suddenly stood up, slamming his hands down on the table with a big grin. “Let’s go find out, then! Jongin told me he just got back to the dance studio to practice, and I’m guessing you know which studio it is, Soo, so let’s go!”

 

 Jongin put down his phone with an amused half-frown on his face. He had no idea how Baekhyun had coaxed his number out of him, but he had, and now he had texted asking where Jongin was. Answering truthfully that he was in the dance studio, even though he had a bad feeling about it, Jongin had asked why Baekhyun had wanted to know, but the other had answered with a simple “No reason”.

 Yeah, Jongin had a  _ real _ bad feeling about it. But Baekhyun and Kyungsoo were best friends, so…

 Putting on his ballet shoes and throwing a guilty glance at his pointe shoes, Jongin shook his head and started to warm up and stretch. His feet were hurting like hell, and he knew he needed to get a new pair of pointe shoes soon, but at the same time, he really should practice his routine properly… A little break could not hurt that much, right? After all, dancing in damaged pointe shoes could result in injuries demanding him to take an even longer break, and that was unacceptable.

 The door opened behind him, but before Jongin could turn around and look, a loud “NINI!” resounded through the dance studio, and a heavy body knocked Jongin to the floor.

 “Oh, god…,” a familiar voice said above them as Jongin groaned and coughed, slowly blinking his eyes.

 The body on top of him moved and a face came into view, and it was a face that Jongin recognized…

 “Jongdae?” Jongin breathed, unable to get enough air to talk properly. The boy on top of him’s lips curled into a cat-like smile.

 “You remember me!” Jongdae basically purred, making Jongin chuckle.

 “You’re my  _ cousin _ , of course I remember you,” Jongin said, pushing himself up into a sitting position after Jongdae climbed off of him. “You look smaller, but I not that different.”

 Jongdae rolled his eyes to the choir of laughter behind him, and Jongin realized that both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun were standing behind his cousin.

 “Yeah, yeah, not everyone just shoots through the roof in their puberty,” Jongdae muttered, leaning back on his hands.

 “Obviously,” Jongin joked, looking between the three boys in front of him, all of who suddenly got very offended looks on their faces.

 “If I weren’t your cousin, I would doubt your asian genes, you little brat!” Jongdae said, playfully hitting Jongin’s shoulder.

 Unfortunately, it was the shoulder that had taken the biggest blow the night before, and it did more than ache. As soon as the hiss left his lips, Jongin found Kyungsoo by his side, worry heavy in his eyes.

 “Are you okay?” he asked, pulling on Jongin’s hoodie to try to get a look at the injury. “It’s the shoulder you fell on yesterday, right?”

 “I’m fine, hyung,” Jongin said, softly pushing Kyungsoo’s hands away.

 Actually, he was not as fine as he claimed, and he would rather not having Kyungsoo see the  _ giant _ bruise that currently decorated his skin. Not only that, Jongin was having a hard time lifting his arm, and if he had not suffered a dislocated shoulder before, he might have feared it had been dislocated.

 Kyungsoo squinted at Jongin, lips pouting slightly, and it was clear that he did not believe the younger, but he let it go anyway.

 Thankful, Jongin turned to Jongdae and Baekhyun, who had also sat down by now.

 “So, what are you doing here?” he asked, actually quite surprised by the sudden visit.

 “Well, you know, Kyungsoo was gushing about you (“No, I was not, you were!”), and Jongdae said he had a cousin whose name was Kim Jongin, so we came to check if he and you were the same person,” Baekhyun answered, shrugging and looking around. “I guess we can conclude that yes, you are. Which is pretty neat! But do we really need a reason to come see you?”

 “Uh, no, I guess not, but Kyungsoo said you always had an ulterior motive whenever you want to check up on someone…,” Jongin said, eyes glancing over at said person.

 Kyungsoo gave a small smirk. “True.”

 Baekhyun gave a frown. “Not true! God, just because I’m extremely good at time managing doesn’t mean that I always have an ulterior motive!”

 “Your time managing skills sucks!” Kyungsoo drawled. “How long does it take you to get ready to go out? An hour? And when do you start getting ready? Half an hour to when we’re supposed to meet?”

 Jongdae grinned in Baekhyun’s direction. “You know what he’s saying is true, and I would know!”

 Pouting adorably, Baekhyun crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m feeling so attacked right now.”

 Completely lost in the funny exchange between the three friends, it took some time for Jongin to remember what he had been planning on telling Baekhyun.

 “Oh, Baekhyun-hyung, I almost forgot,” Jongin began, ignoring the ‘Such a polite young man, why can’t you be like that, Soo?’ and ‘Because you almost killed me when I called you hyung, you said it made you feel old!’. “I ran into Chanyeol today, and he invited me to a party this weekend. I agreed to go as long as I could bring a few friends, and he said that it was no problem.”

 All eyes were on Baekhyun as the boy dropped his jaw in shock. A few seconds later, his eyes welled up with tears, and shortly after that, Jongin once more found himself lying on the floor, this time with Baekhyun over him.

 “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had!” Baekhyun exclaimed, earning annoyed shouts of ‘Hey!’ from the two supposed ‘best friends’ gathered in the room. “Thank you, thank you, thank you so so much!”

 Jongin chuckled as he patted the older’s back, reassuring him that it was okay, and he did not mind. After all, who was he to stand in the way of love, and who was he to not take a chance to help someone when it showed itself to him?

 Suddenly, Baekhyun sat up with the speed of a cobra, slapping both hands over his cheeks with a terrified expression on his face.

 Before anyone could ask what was wrong, he began to talk again.

 “OH MY GOD, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO WEAR?!” the boy wailed, showing off some impressive vocal cords, and Jongin was sure he was a vocal major, too.

 “Don’t worry, Baekhyun- _ hyung _ , we’ll help you!” Kyungsoo said in an extremely sweet, extremely  _ sarcastic _ voice. “After all, we’re your  _ best friends _ , right?”

 Baekhyun sniffed as he looked at his two best friends. “Oh, what did I ever do to deserve the two of you!”

 Jongdae snorted, rolling his eyes. “Great question…”

 “I can’t stand the meanness in this room, first Soo and now you?!” Baekhyun exploded, fisting both hands in his hair.

 Kyungsoo held up a hand, and with completely neutral expressions, he and Jongdae did a fist bump. It was actually quite comical, and Jongin found himself chuckling, though it turned into a cough as Baekhyun threw him a glare.

 “So, anyway,” Jongdae said, still laughing as he turned towards Jongin. “How’s my favorite cousin been doing?”

 “I was the only one who would do what you said, since I was younger than you,” Jongin deadpanned. “But I’ve been… Good, I guess? You?”

 Jongdae threw a look at Baekhyun, and then Kyungsoo, before shrugging. “Pretty okay. You know what, you should come over some day. I’m sure mom and dad would love to see you, it’s been, what, five years or something?”

 Jongin dragged a hand through his hair, smiling a little at the prospect of seeing his uncle and aunt again. He had always enjoyed visiting them, since they were so nice to him. And playing with Jongdae and his brothers. That reminded him…

 “Maybe I will. How’s your brothers, by the way?” Jongin asked, trying to remember last time he had seen them.

 “Myeonnie and Seokkie? They’re just fine, Seokkie is in China playing soccer and living his life, and Myeonnie is actually studying here, too,” Jongdae answered. “He’s taking over the company when dad retires, so he was fully focused on that last time I spoke with him.”

 “That’s nice,” Jongin said with a smile, and he was being honest. It did not surprise him where his cousins were in life - thinking back to the three boys he had grown up with, he could totally see it.

 Kyungsoo, who had been trying to calm Baekhyun down about what clothes the older should be wearing that weekend, tuned in the cousins’ conversation.

 “‘Myeonnie’ and ‘Seokkie’?” he echoed, bringing the attention to him.

 “Yeah, Junmyeon and Minseok. You’ve met Junmyeon once or twice, remember? Dark hair, serious expression, always looks like he has a stick up his a- (“Jongdae!”), I mean, butt?”

 Kyungsoo thought for a while, then his eyes lit up.

 “Oh, wait, yeah, he’s the one who sometimes comes up to you and whines about you never coming home to visit?” Kyungsoo said, and Jongdae nodded with a sigh. “Ah, yes, I remember him.”

 “Wait, he’s your brother?!” Baekhyun suddenly piped in, eyes large. “I thought he was your boyfriend or sugar daddy or something!”

 Jongdae gave a deep frown. “What?! Baek, we’ve been roomies for three years, you’ve met Myeonnie a shitload!”

 Baekhyun just shrugged. “You look nothing alike, excuse me for not making the connection…”

 As Jongin watched the exchange going on in front of him, he felt someone looking at him. Glancing to his side, he saw Kyungsoo sitting with a slight pout on his face that hit Jongin deeper than he wanted to admit.

 “What’s wrong?” Jongin asked, worry  _ very _ evident in his voice.

 “I thought we were friends, Jongin…,” Kyungsoo began with a mumble, looking down at the floor as if he did not want Jongin to see him cry or something.

 “Uh, yes, we are?” Jongin asked, very confused about where things were going.

 Kyungsoo looked up at him again, pout deeper and his owl-like eyes shining like a thousand stars.

 “Then why did you give Baek your number, but not me?” Kyungsoo asked, his voice so low it was barely above a whisper.

 Now, Jongin loved dogs. He  _ truly _ loved dogs, to the point where he would run in front of a car to rescue one, and seeing a puppy could make him squeal higher than a teenage girl seeing an idol. And right now, Kyungsoo was giving him the best freaking puppy eyes Jongin had ever witnessed in a human. His hands  _ ached _ to reach out and pull the shorter into his arms, and squeeze the sadness away, but he refrained himself from doing so. After all, they had only known each other for not even a day, and Jongin did not act like that with anyone.

 He had, once upon a time, but not anymore.

 So instead, he settled for patting Kyungsoo’s head.

 “Aw, hyung, you can get my number if you want!” Jongin cooed. “And for the record, Baekhyun-hyung more or less forced it out of me, though I don’t know why…”

 Kyungsoo gave a deep sigh. “Probably just to tease me… Or ask you about Chanyeol… That was very nice of you, by the way. To get an invitation for Baekhyun, I mean.”

 Jongin shrugged, smiling. “I saw a chance and took it. Do you want to come, too? I mean, if all goes according to plan, I’ll be pretty much alone at party…”

 “What, you’re inviting me just so you won’t feel lonely?” Kyungsoo chuckled. But as Jongin deployed his own set of puppy eyes that were on a serious level, Kyungsoo found himself quickly giving in. “Yeah, okay, I’ll come and keep you company.”

 “Hey!” Jongdae suddenly exclaimed, and they looked up to see him standing with Baekhyun in a headlock. “Don’t I get an invitation, too?”

 “Sure, Dae,” Jongin smiled, and Jongdae grinned back, accidentally dropping Baekhyun down onto the floor.


	4. Chapter IV

 Later that day, Kyungsoo found himself in the regular music studio, practicing and trying to get his song right. He spent most of his time in there lately, and he was coming to really dislike the room.

 In the middle of the first chorus, the door opened, and cutting himself off, Kyungsoo turned to look at who it was.

 “Hey, hyung!” Jongin called, slipping inside with a grin. “You don’t have to stop for me.”

 “What are you doing here, Jongin?” Kyungsoo asked, small smile on his lips.

 Jongin shrugged as he sat down on one of the chairs in front of Kyungsoo. “I realized that you’ve seen me practice, but I’ve never heard you, and that felt a bit unfair. Oh, and also, we never actually exchanged numbers…”

 Laughing, Kyungsoo went over to his bag and pulled his phone out, before handing it to the younger.

 “It’s almost as if we are not meant to have each others numbers,” he said, making Jongin grin as he took the phone.

 Sticking his tongue out in an adorable way, Jongin quickly punched his number in and saved the contact, before calling himself and hanging up. Then he gave Kyungsoo the phone back, and saved Kyungsoo’s number in his own phone.

 “All done!” he said, proudly holding up his phone for Kyungsoo to see. “Now, sing and let me hear you.”

 Kyungsoo was quite the shy person, even if it did not seem like it. His sometimes seemingly cold exterior came from the fact that he was socially awkward and way to blunt for most people, and not that much from him actually being cold. This fact would make many people question why Kyungsoo was a vocal major, but there was something about being up on the stage… The pure adrenaline rush took him over, and he loved standing in front of the masses and singing his heart out.

 But that also meant that Kyungsoo was not really that comfortable with singing in front of just a few people, especially not a song that he was still working on. Baekhyun had heard him sing quite often, since they were childhood friends, but it had taken Jongdae a few months to hear Kyungsoo live off of the stage.

 “Uh…,” was all that came out of Kyungsoo’s mouth at the expectant raise of Jongin’s eyebrows.

 Jongin tilted his head to the side, frowning slightly. “I’m pretty sure that’s not how it goes, hyung… Are you by any chance shy with singing in front of others?”

 “Maybe…,” Kyungsoo mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I mean, I’m okay up on the stage, but like this… I don’t know…”

 Jongin seemed deep in thought for a moment, before his eyes lit up, and he got up and walked over to Kyungsoo.

 “I have an idea,” he said, grinning. “Just pretend I’m not here, hyung.”

 “Because that’s so easy to do,” Kyungsoo deadpanned, making Jongin laugh.

 “It will be, let me show you.”

 And with that, Jongin spun Kyungsoo around, before turning around himself, so that they were back to back.

 “See? I can’t see you, and you can’t see me. Now you can pretend like I’m not here, and you don’t have to worry about feeling as if I’m staring at you,” Jongin said in a soft voice.

 Kyungsoo chuckled, nodding even though Jongin could not see it. “I’ll admit, this was pretty smart… You have to promise to be completely silent and not move, though.”

 Kyungsoo felt something on his thigh near his hand, and when he looked down, he saw Jongin linking their little fingers together. The gesture was adorably childish, and he could not keep his smile from growing even larger.

 “Pinky promise, which is the most serious promise after kiss promise,” Jongin whispered. “Bye for now!”

 Just as Jongin was about to let go, Kyungsoo tightened his pinky around Jongin’s, not letting him pull back. Kyungsoo did not know why he did that, considering Jongin was making sure he would be as discreet as possible, but he felt comforted by the contact. The skin against skin sent small flames up his hand, and Kyungsoo found himself enjoying it.

 So, taking a deep breath and holding on to Jongin, Kyungsoo closed his eyes and began to sing. It was not perfect, and his voice failed him more than once, but it was not as bad as he had thought it would be. And Kyungsoo found himself closer to figuring out what it was that was bothering him with the song and how he could fix it, even though he could not acknowledge it just yet.

 As the last tone rang out, Kyungsoo let his head fall back onto Jongin’s shoulder, and he felt the ragged breath the younger took, fingers slipping in between Kyungsoo’s and holding them tightly. They just stood like that, not talking, just breathing, for what seemed like hours.

 “Hyung?” Jongin finally whispered, Kyungsoo humming in answer. “One day I want to dance to your voice.”

 Kyungsoo gave a soft chuckle.

 “Okay.”

 

 They decided on taking a break, and headed to the university cafeteria. Kyungsoo ordered a hot chocolate, whilst Jongin made due with water.

 “Don’t you think you’re going a bit overboard with the whole health thing?” Kyungsoo asked, eyeing the water as Jongin took a sip from it, not missing the way his adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

 Jongin shrugged as he put the bottle down.

 “I want to be as good as I possibly can, and that means making sacrifices. Like strict diets and late practices,” Jongin answered. “By the way, I thought about what you said about my routine, the whole passion and fire affair? I think you might be suffering from the same problem. You’re not feeling it, and it shows in your singing.”

 Kyungsoo gave a lopsided grin. “It takes one to know one, you know…”

 Jongin mirrored the grin. “As true as they say.”

 A lanky figure suddenly collapsed into the chair next to Jongin, shocking both him and Kyungsoo.

 “Jongin! What are you doing here?” the newcomer asked in a surprisingly deep voice, giving Jongin’s back a pat before turning to Kyungsoo. “Hey, do I know you?”

 “Don’t think so, Do Kyungsoo,” Kyungsoo answered, reaching a hand out that the tall boy took.

 “Park Chanyeol,” the newcomer said, before his eyes widened. “Do Kyungsoo?! Are you kidding me? I  _ do _ know who you are, we went to the same kindergarten and elementary school! This is insane, I thought I recognized those eyes of yours!”

 “Wait, we did? You recognize my  _ eyes _ ?” Kyungsoo asked, a bit taken aback, but Chanyeol just kept grinning.

 “Yeah, I had this massive crush on you when we were younger, and I thought your eyes looked really pretty,” Chanyeol explained with a laugh. “Pretty embarrassing, but truth! Ah, don’t worry, though, Jongin, not here to steal your man!”

 Jongin, who had seemed lost in thought and scowling, quickly looked up at the mention of his name, cheeks tinting with pink.

 “What? I have no idea what you’re talking about, what are you doing here?” Jongin mumbled, seemingly trying to suppress his blush.

 “Hm? Oh, yeah, I was going to ask how many people you were planning on bringing to the party, Kris wanted to know,” Chanyeol asked, eyes wandering back to Kyungsoo. “Are you coming, Kyungsoo? Otherwise I’m inviting you right now!”

 “Yes, Kyungsoo is coming,” Jongin quickly interjected. “Him and two other friends, so there’s four of us.”

 “Neat,” Chanyeol answered, grinning at Jongin. “Fun to finally have you join us, man.”

 Kyungsoo glanced to the side, seeing Baekhyun walking towards them. The older seemed focused, and not paying attention to his surroundings, or Kyungsoo’s, as he got closer to the table.

 “Hey, Baek, what’s up?” Kyungsoo asked as soon as his friend was close enough.

 “Soo, hey, I have a question…,” Baekhyun mumbled, before looking up and taking in just  _ who _ Kyungsoo were currently sitting with. “Uh…”

 Chanyeol looked up at the new arrival, two seconds ticking past before he stood up and extended his hand, a charming smile that was completely different from his grin firmly in place on his lips. Baekhyun did not know where to look - Chanyeol’s hand or his lips?

 “Park Chanyeol, nice to meet you,” he introduced himself as soon as Baekhyun took his hand.

 “Byun Baekhyun… Eh, nice to meet you, too,” Baekhyun said, voice barely more than a whisper and eyes wider than saucers. “Could I borrow Kyungsoo for a second?”

 Before anyone could reply, Kyungsoo stood up, taking his cup with him.

 “Sure, let’s go. Nice to meet you, Chanyeol, and see you later, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, waving goodbye as he let himself get dragged away by Baekhyun.

 Chanyeol and Jongin sat in silent as they watched the two boys exit the cafeteria.

 “Wow,” Chanyeol said, turning towards Jongin. “Is he coming to the party, too?”

 Jongin nodded, taking another sip of his water, already missing Kyungsoo’s company.

 “Him and my cousin, actually. And Kyungsoo.”

 Chanyeol turned back towards where Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had disappeared.

 “Great. It’s going to be a great party.”

 

 As soon as they were out of earshot (even if Baekhyun would have a meltdown and start screaming), Baekhyun turned towards Kyungsoo.

 “What was that?” he hissed, and Kyungsoo simply shrugged.

 “Jongin and I decided to take a break from practicing, and Chanyeol just showed up out of the blue asking about the party,” Kyungsoo explained. “No big deal.”

 “No big deal? No big deal?! It’s my crush were talking about here!” Baekhyun exclaimed, putting both hands on Kyungsoo’s shoulders. “It is a very big deal!”

 “Calm down, Baek, it’s not actually a big deal. The fact that I apparently went to the same kindergarten and elementary school as Chanyeol,  _ that _ is a big deal.”

 Baekhyun’s mouth fell open, but he soon snapped it close and began to shake Kyungsoo violently back and forth.

 “PLEASE TELL ME YOU STILL HAVE THE YEARBOOKS!” he more or less screamed, and Kyungsoo put his hands over his ears.

 “I don’t know! I can call my mom and see if she knows, though, just stop SHAKING ME!” Kyungsoo yelled back, letting out a deep breath as Baekhyun released him. “Thank you! You’re such a drama queen, Baek!”

 Baekhyun took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just call your mother, Soo.”

 With a roll of his eyes, Kyungsoo took out his phone and scrolled down to his mom’s number, knowing Baekhyun would not get off of his back until he took care of that particular matter. And, honestly, having Baekhyun at your back was  _ heavy _ .


	5. Chapter V

 The rest of the week went by in a blur of school, practice and Jongin. The younger easily integrated himself into the friendship group, spending his lunch breaks with them, even if he did not hang out with them after classes. Seeing how much Jongin practiced, Kyungsoo actually started worrying, and he made sure to force Jongin home whenever he was in school after Kyungsoo himself had finished practicing.

 Jongdae began telling snippets about Jongin to Kyungsoo and Baekhyun; about his two older sisters that had more or less broken contact with Jongin’s parents, about said parents that wanted nothing more than complete success from Jongin, about the many countries they had moved to - both for their own sake and for the sake of Jongin’s ballet training. About how Jongin’s parents had started to refuse for Jongin to visit his cousins after Jongdae’s parents had refused to “control” their oldest son, Minseok, when he had decided to pursue soccer.

 And also the fact that Jongin came from really old money, much the same as Jongdae, but Jongin was a lineal heir, whilst Jongdae was not. Which meant that the pressure on him was much higher than it was on Jongdae.

 “It basically means that Jongin will have to marry a suitable girl and have at least one kid, and live a quiet and scandal-free life, even though he is third in line for the inheritance,” Jongdae explained one afternoon. “But I guess he’ll move up to first place if both of his sisters refuse to make peace with their parents… Poor kid.”

 Kyungsoo echoed that sentiment, feeling uneasy at Jongin’s life prospects. He told himself that it was the fact that Jongin seemed to have no say in how to live his life, but he knew that it was more than that.

 Whenever he saw the younger, Kyungsoo felt this strange mix of wanting to take care of Jongin, and maybe push him up against the wall and do something Kyungsoo did not allow himself to think about. He had a stressful enough life as it was, and did not need more things complicating it.

 But, of course, the more he got to know Jongin - both from Jongin himself and from Jongdae - the more Kyungsoo realized he was unable to stay away, or keep himself completely neutral in a friendship sense of way.

 And Jongin himself was not making it any easier, either. He was slowly charming his way into Kyungsoo’s heart, with his bright smiles, soft eyes and deep voice, with his puppy-like behavior that showed itself when he wanted something, with his cool exterior when he did not say anything, with the attentive way he listened to everything Kyungsoo had to say, and with the way his usually blank exterior during practice began to crack and show the real man beneath. A man that was brimming over with passion to the point where he could steal your breath away with his powerful moves.

 Yes, Kyungsoo were quickly tumbling down a path that scared the living daylight out of him, but he could not stop himself, nor could he slow down.

 “Does this work, Soo?” Baekhyun asked, and Kyungsoo forced himself back to the present, where he was sitting on Baekhyun’s bed, acting like style advisor alongside Jongdae (who had disappeared, the traitor).

 Dressed in skinny jeans with ripped knees, a black turtleneck and a leather jacket, Baekhyun looked as if he had just stepped out of a fashion magazine, and Kyungsoo did a doubletake.

 “Uh, yeah, works really good, but don’t you think you’ll get too warm in that?” Kyungsoo asked, earning himself a snort.

 “So what? No pain, no gain, Soo. I’ll roll up the arms of this shirt and hope I won’t have it on for too long,” Baekhyun said, shrugging with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

 Kyungsoo groaned in disgust. “Oh, Baek, goddamnit! Remember what happened last time you had drunken sex?”

 Baekhyun, who had walked over to his desk and sat down, armed and ready with an eyeliner, threw Kyungsoo a quick glance.

 “There’s a difference. I never felt anything for Taeyeon, were already pretty sure I liked dick better, and I never said I would be having  _ sex _ . Taking your shirt off doesn’t have to mean sex, it could just mean heavy makeout session. God, Soo!”

 Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, getting up from the bed and heading for the door. “I’m going home to change, then I’ll be back.”

 “See you in ten, then,” Baekhyun mocked half-heartedly, focused on not stabbing himself in the eye.

 Just as Kyungsoo was about to exit the little apartment, the door was slammed open, and Jongdae entered with a tall man following him. The tall man had bleached white hair, cat-like eyes and ears full of piercings, and Kyungsoo felt strangely intimidated by him.

 “Soo, just the person I was looking for!” Jongdae exclaimed, placing both hands on Kyungsoo’s shoulders.

 “You knew exactly where I was, since you left me alone to help Baek,” Kyungsoo deadpanned. “What do you want?”

 Jongdae half-turned to point towards the tall man, who gave a slight bow.

 “This is Tao, he’s a friend, and a hairdresser. He’s here to help us! Or, well, you,” Jongdae winked. “I know you’re after my cousin, but I also know he looks mighty fine and will have many others after him tonight, so we have to make sure he only has eyes for you!”

 Kyungsoo took a step backwards, frowning and glancing between Jongdae and Tao. Sure, he were long overdue for a haircut, considering it was starting to fall down into his eyes, but Kyungsoo was pretty sure he would not like where this was going.

 “Excuse me, but… First of all, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kyungsoo started, feigning ignorance and earning himself a snort from Jongdae, “and second of all, I’m not sure how much I trust a hairdresser that makes house calls to university students…”

 “Don’t worry, I have a license that I can show you, and with the time we have until the party, I can’t do too much,” Tao said, his voice rather raspy and with a strange accent. Chinese? “You would look amazing in red, but to do that, we need to bleach and color… So only a haircut.”

 “What do you have in mind?” Kyungsoo asked warily, still not completely convinced.

 Tao clapped his hands together, grin spreading on his lips, as if he was getting straight into his element. Which he probably was.

 “I was thinking an undercut, shave the sides and back, making the long hair a bit choppy, and then fixing it to lie backwards! Big trend right now, and I can tell that you will look  _ ama _ zing in it!” Tao babbled, and Kyungsoo got the picture of an overly excited school girl in his mind.

 “Uh…,” was all Kyungsoo could get out, but Jongdae took this as permission.

 “Great! Bathroom’s over there, you can do it in the kitchen over there, what do you need?” Jongdae asked as he steered Kyungsoo into the kitchen, pushing the younger into one of the chairs.

 “Only a towel to put around his shoulders, for now,” Tao said cheerfully as he followed them, putting down his bag on the table and rummaging through it. “I think I have most other things I need…”

 Baekhyun, who had apparently finished his eye makeup and heard the commotion, joined them in the kitchen.

 “Tao?” he said, recognizing the hairdresser apparently. “What are you doing here?”

 “I’m getting a haircut, apparently…,” Kyungsoo said in a small voice as Jongdae came back, a towel in his hands.

 “You are?” Baekhyun exclaimed, a large smile on his lips. “Great! You needed one, and Tao can make sure that Jongin won’t have eyes for anyone but you!”

 Kyungsoo groaned as the towel was wrapped around him. Had everyone seen through him?

 Probably.

 “Are you ready?” Tao asked, standing in front of Kyungsoo with a smirk on his lips. “Say goodbye to your hair, but don’t worry, I will make you look  _ smoking _ .”

 

 Half an hour later, Tao was making the finishing touches to Kyungsoo’s new hairstyle, a satisfied grin coming over his lips as he took a step back.

 “I have once more outdone myself…,” Tao mused, holding out his arms.

 Jongdae and Baekhyun crowded behind Tao to get a look, eyes popping wide.

 “Holy shit!”

 “Damn, Kyungsoo, you look hot!”

 “This only took half an hour?”

 “I swear on everything, I’ll never go to anyone else than you, Tao. This is amazing!”

 Growing more and more annoyed by the chatter, Kyungsoo demanded attention to be turned towards himself against. Properly, this time, not just to check him out.

 “Can I go see it?” Kyungsoo asked rather impatiently, struggling to get out of the towel still wrapped around him.

 Tao helped get the towel off, before nodding.

 “Go, little one, and take a look at your new self!” he said, and Kyungsoo knew why Jongdae and Baekhyun were friends with him.

 “And I got your clothes for you, too!” Jongdae piped up, pointing towards the living room.

 Kyungsoo gave an acknowledging wave as he headed for the bathroom. To say that he was scared to see what Tao had done to him was an understatement.

 Stepping inside of the small room, Kyungsoo hit the lightswitch, letting the light pulsate alive, and first when it was steady, he looked up.

 And was quite taken aback.

 Tao had truly done an amazing job, making Kyungsoo look more like the nineteen years he actually was, and not the fifteen he normally looked like. His hair was looking very soft and almost  _ bouncy _ , sweeping backwards and exposing his forehead, and it looked sophisticated in some strange way.

 “What do you think?” Tao asked, leaning against the doorway with arms crossed over his chest.

 Kyungsoo gave Tao a quick glance before looking back at himself, touching some artfully messy strands.

 “That it’s a shame we didn’t have time to dye it?” Kyungsoo mumbled, a small smile hovering on his lips as Tao’s grin grew even wider.

 “No worries, just come by the saloon, and I’ll fix it for you,” Tao said, giving a wink. “This was fun!”

 “Thank you, Tao, it looks really good,” Kyungsoo said, turning away from checking himself out just to be enveloped in a tight hug.

 After Tao said his goodbyes, Kyungsoo quickly changed into a pair of skinny jeans that Jongdae had somehow managed to dig out of the younger’s closet, and the thin, black shirt that Kyungsoo himself had put on his bed for changing into. Checking his phone, he saw that he had gotten a text from Jongin saying that he had started for the dorms, and nervousness and anticipation clogged itself in Kyungsoo’s throat.

 “What will it take to get you to agree to some eyeliner, Soo?” Baekhyun purred, draping an arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

 “Well, I’ve gotten a new haircut that I love, so why not try something else new?” Kyungsoo answered, shrugging and heading towards Baekhyun’s room.

 Baekhyun stood frozen in shock, mouth gaping. The Kyungsoo he knew would  _ laugh _ and call Baekhyun stupid for even suggesting something so silly, what was this?

 “Hurry up before he changes his mind,” Jongdae whispered in Baekhyun’s ear, waking the older boy and having him rush after Kyungsoo.

 

 A few minutes after Baekhyun was done with Kyungsoo, having added a thin line of eyeliner that looked almost natural and succeeded in  _ not _ poking Kyungsoo’s eyeballs, there was a knock on the door, and before anyone could move, Kyungsoo were already there, hand on the handle.

 “Oh, hey, hyung,” Jongin said, bright smile in place as he took in the boy in front of him. His eyes went to Kyungsoo’s hair, the smile faltering to be replaced with an open-mouthed stare. “Your hair! Wow!”

 Feeling a bit self conscious all of a sudden, Kyungsoo gave an awkward laugh as he touched his new hairdo.

 “I know, your cousin thought it was time for a change…”

 Jongin did a thumbs up, still staring at the hair. “It looks really good, hyung!”

 Kyungsoo barely had time to fire off a giant smile before two arms were put over his shoulder, Baekhyun and Jongdae appearing at his sides.

 “Jongin! Looking hot as usual!” Baekhyun grinned, a flush spreading over Jongin’s cheeks.

 “Wow, you look so grown-up, almost like an adult,” Jongdae admired.

 And Jongin did. He was dressed in ripped skinny jeans that showed off his strong dancer legs, and a black sweater so loosely knitted it did not look like it could offer any warmth, worn over a black tank top. The tops were carelessly tucked into the pants at the front, and hanging loose at the back. That, coupled with the carefully messed up dark brown hair, made Jongin look like a model.

 “Your eyeliner can almost compete with Baek’s,” Kyungsoo joked, earning himself a jab in the ribs.

 Jongin gave a deep laugh, shrugging. “I’ve gotten a lot of practice from performing. Are we going now, or am I coming in?”

 Jongdae slapped a hand over his forehead. “Where are our manners? Come on in, Nini! We’re having a pre-party!”

 “Complete with alcohol!” Baekhyun piped up, showing his beer bottle, before Kyungsoo showed him out of the doorway. “What the hell, Soo?! I would rather not smell like I took a bath in beer!”

 Kyungsoo just rolled his eyes. “Nobody will notice at the party, and I don’t think you want all your beer to be confiscated, either.”

 Baekhyun stared at Kyungsoo for a moment, before giving a nod. “Point taken.”

 Kyungsoo gave a sarcastic two-fingered salute, before turning back to Jongin.

 “Do you want something? We got beer, beer, and… beer?”

 “Also tequila!” Jongdae called from the kitchen.

 “We got tequila, but we’re not going to drink that!” Kyungsoo called back.

 Jongdae returned from the kitchen with a pout and a beer. “Aw, no fun, Soo… Beer?”

 Jongin looked at the bottle held out in his direction, worrying his lower lip as he thought about it. It would not be nice on his body, but at the same time, sometimes you were allowed to cheat…

 “You don’t have to if you don’t wa-” Jongdae began, before being interrupted by Jongin accepting the bottle and taking a swig. “Oh, well, there he goes. Cheers!”

 The four boys held up their bottles and clinked them together in a cheer, before drinking.


	6. Chapter VI

 When they finally reached Kris’ house, the four boys were slightly buzzed and very happy.

 The closer they got to the door leading inside, the more did Baekhyun’s giddiness turn into nervousness, and the other three tried to do whatever they could to help calm him down.

 “You look totally hot, and if Chanyeol can’t see that, he’s not worth you,” Jongdae said as he rubbed Baekhyun’s back in what he thought was a calming way, but really just was annoying.

 “Don’t worry, hyung, I think you’re his type,” Jongin said, throwing a quick glance towards Kyungsoo. “You’re short and cute, and he specifically asked if you were going to the party last time I met him.”

 Kyungsoo was trying to keep the giggles behind his hand, remembering that Chanyeol had once had a crush on  _ him _ . Then he chortled as he realized what Jongin had said - short and cute. Jongin found him cute?

 “But I don’t want him to see me as  _ cute _ , I want him to look at me and want to push me up against a wall and have his ways with me!” Baekhyun whined.

 Jongin’s cheeks were starting to turn a little pink, but he kept going.

 “I’m sure he’ll do that, too, but if it’s just the, well, sex that keeps you together, then it won’t be a good relationship, right?” he tried to comfort, taking over his cousin’s back rubbing duties and performing them much better. Kyungsoo wished Jongin would do that on his back instead…

 “I guess so…,” Baekhyun mumbled, giving a sniffle. Not that he were actually crying - Baekhyun would never sacrifice his eyeliner right before trying to catch a man or woman - but because he felt sorry for himself and wanted others to do it, too.

 “Oh, look, we’re here! Get it together, Baek, we all know you’ll be amazing!” Jongdae said, before reaching out and opening the door.

 Immediately, they were blasted by the loud music, almost making Kyungsoo stumble back. Jongin’s eyes flew to him, making sure he was okay, before reaching out and taking his hand as they began their descent into the house. Kyungsoo’s stomach fluttered as his heart sped up, and he had to look down to shield his blushing face from onlookers.

 “Are you okay, hyung?” Jongin whispered, his lips so close to Kyungsoo’s ear that Kyungsoo felt his breath tickling him, sending a shiver down the older’s spine.

 “Uh, yeah, wasn’t prepared for the loud music,” Kyungsoo responded, flashing Jongin a small grin and hoping the younger could not see the redness of his cheeks under the dim lights, or at least blame it on his tipsiness. “I’m fine.”

 Jongin offered him a bright grin, and Kyungsoo wondered if he always looked that good, or if it was the alcohol. Or maybe the light?

 “Oh, look,” Jongin said, turning slightly before starting to pull Kyungsoo with him. “There’s Chanyeol!”

 It was not that hard to spot Chanyeol, considering he was taller than most people there, and it apparently helped him spot other people, too, since he soon saw Jongin and Kyungsoo making their way over, giving them a wave.

 “Hey, I thought you guys weren’t going to show up!” Chanyeol exclaimed, deep voice loud over the music, as he pulled first Jongin, and then Kyungsoo, into strong hugs. “Never knew you cleaned up  _ this _ good, Jonginnie! You look good, too, Kyungsoo, you look like a really cute couple together!”

 They were still holding hands, though none made a move to release the other as their cheeks heated up, and Kyungsoo felt a happy giggle working its way up through his throat at the compliment. Stealing a glance at the younger, Kyungsoo saw that he also seemed to be suppressing a grin.

 “Nini!” someone hollered, and they turned to find Jongdae and Baekhyun make their way over, somehow having been separated within the first seconds of entering the house.

 A soft “Fuck” was heard, and Kyungsoo gave a smirk at Chanyeol. Glancing up at the tall boy, Kyungsoo could see that he was completely focused on something moving closer, and Kyungsoo had an idea of just what it was.

 Or rather,  _ who _ .

 “Chanyeol, you’ve met Baekhyun before, and this is my cousin, Jongdae,” Jongin introduced them, helping the poor speechless boy.

 Chanyeol snapped back to life, grinning at the newly arrivals. “Oh, yeah, nice to meet you,” he said, holding out a hand that Jongdae took.

 “You, too,” Jongdae answered, cat grin firmly in place as he had also noticed Chanyeol’s ogling over his best friend. “Hey, do you know if Liyin is here, by any chance?”

 “Liyin?” Chanyeol asked, scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah, I saw her talking to Kris just before, in the kitchen.”

 Jongdae gave a low growl, before setting off in the direction of the kitchen (with the help of Chanyeol’s pointing), determination growing with every step.

 “What’s wrong with him?” Chanyeol asked, as they all watched Jongdae leave.

 “He has a pretty serious infatuation on Liyin, and is scared Kris is going to steal her away,” Kyungsoo said, laughing.

 Chanyeol soon joined in on the laughter, shaking his head. “Seriously? Wow, if only he knew…”

 “Knew what?” Baekhyun asked, a small smile on his lips, as he stood next to Kyungsoo.

 Kyungsoo could almost feel the nervous energy radiating off of his best friend’s body, but one would never have guessed from how peaceful he was looking.

 Chanyeol’s eyes snapped to the shorter boy, widening slightly, and instead of answering, he simply pointed in a direction. The three boys in front of him turned to look at where he was pointing, squinting to see what was going on in the dim light.

 Kris was standing in a corner, seemingly caging a smaller person with his body. The person, a man, seemed to debate whether to move away or stay, whilst clearly arguing with Kris.

 “Isn’t that…?” Kyungsoo began as Baekhyun’s mouth fell open.

 “Junmyeon?” Jongin mumbled, eyes large as plates.

 Chanyeol looked down at them, a bit confused. “You know him?”

 “Uh, yeah, he’s my cousin. Jongdae’s brother,” Jongin explained, seemingly shaking himself from the shock and beginning to grin. “Who would have known…”

 “Oh, Kris has been chasing him for a long time, but Junmyeon keeps him at bay,” Chanyeol told them. “Don’t know why he keeps it up, but not really my problem either… Well, enough about them, you guys want something to drink?”

 And even though Chanyeol were asking all of them, his eyes were on Baekhyun solely. Baekhyun, clearly seeing this, gave the taller a soft smile.

 “Sure. Show the way,” he said, and Chanyeol gave a short nod before starting to move, body half turned back so he could keep an eye on Baekhyun and make sure he followed.

 “I think my friend just dissed me for your friend,” Kyungsoo stated as Baekhyun and Chanyeol disappeared in the crowd.

 “Told you, I knew this was going to happen,” Jongin sighed, before grinning at Kyungsoo. “Lucky I asked you to come, so we at least have each other.”

 “So cheesy,” Kyungsoo muttered, but he still had a smile on his lips.

 Jongin’s grin deepened, before he looked around. “So, what do you want to do? Dance? Drink? Leave?”

 “You don’t often go to parties, do you?” Kyungsoo said. “Normally, people don’t leave until they’ve been here for at least an hour, you know, to be polite? But I guess we can drink until we’re polite enough? I’d rather not embarrass myself in front of the dance major…”

 Jongin chuckled at this, before heading off in the direction all of their friends had gone just a few minutes before. On the way, they saw Jongdae standing and talking animatedly with a pretty girl with long, dark hair, whose arms were crossed but smile amused. Kyungsoo recognized the Chinese, and grinned at her, and she sent a wink back. Jongdae turned with a ferocious look, but when he saw who it was, he quickly turned back.

 “That seems to be going well?” Jongin mumbled in Kyungsoo’s ear, making the older repress a shudder.

 “Yeah, Jongdae’s been crushing on her for a while now, but he just recently found the courage to actually do something about it,” Kyungsoo told Jongin, leaning close. His scent was so much more overwhelming up close, and the warmth… “I think Liyin feels something, too, but wants to be sure Jongdae is serious about stuff.”

 Jongin glanced over at the two with an affectionate smile, his eyes soft. “That’s nice.”

 Kyungsoo nodded his agreement.

 They entered the kitchen, that was a bit less filled by people. As they headed for the table filled with different kinds of alcohol, Kyungsoo looked around.

 “Where’s Baek?” he asked, not seeing the older anywhere.

 Jongin just laughed, before pointing towards a window. Looking out, Kyungsoo could see the veranda, where Baekhyun and Chanyeol were sitting, side by side. It was a quite adorable scene, the taller with his legs stretched out in front of him, and the shorter with his arms wrapped around his legs, talking and laughing with each other.

 “Look at him go!” Kyungsoo said, proudness strong in his voice as he placed a hand over his heart. “My little baby is doing so well!”

 Jongin looked at Kyungsoo for a moment, before beginning to chuckle.

 “The three of you seem so different, but yet I find that you’re all so alike…,” he said.

 “Don’t insult me,” Kyungsoo said, but there was a warm smile on his face.

 It was true. From the outside, Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and Jongdae probably looked like unlikely friends, but they shared a whole lot.

 After managing to find some more beer (which seemed the safest at a college party), Kyungsoo and Jongin headed back towards the living room. Before the could get out of the kitchen, though, Kris and Junmyeon entered.

 “Hey, Jongin! Heard you arrived,” Kris said, doing a fist bump with Jongin, who grinned back.

 Junmyeon, who were behind Kris, came to an abrupt halt, eyes growing wide.

 “Jongin…?” Junmyeon gasped, a hand flying up to his mouth.

 “Hey, Myeonnie,” Jongin said, a bit bashful and very adorable.

 “Jonginnie!” Junmyeon cried out, before throwing himself at Jongin, who groaned at the added weight but still managed a chuckle.

 Kris looked very confused as he glanced between the two cousins, even sparing a look for Kyungsoo.

 “Long lost cousins,” Kyungsoo explained, letting go of Jongin’s hand to stretch it out towards Kris. “Kyungsoo.”

 “Kris,” the taller said, before something lit up in his eyes, and he looked Kyungsoo up and down. “Oh,  _ oh _ ! Kyungsoo!”

 Before Kyungsoo had the chance to do more than smile awkwardly, Jongin reached out with one of his long (well-shaped) legs, kicking Kris in the shin, whilst still hugging and comforting Junmyeon.

 Junmyeon pulled back slightly, holding Jongin at an arm’s length and throwing Kris a glare.

 “Stop being awkward,” he hissed, before he looked back at Jongin, his face softening. “I haven’t seen you in such a long time… How have you been? What are you doing nowadays? Jongdae said you’re a dance major? I tried to come see you, but school’s been insane…”

 Jongin placed his hands on Junmyeon’s shoulders, laughing. “Calm down, Myeonnie! Calm down. I’ve been doing fine, and yes, I’m a dance major, which I don’t think you find to be that strange. And it’s no worries, I know you’re busy, we can see each other when you have time.”

 Junmyeon looked Jongin over again, placing his hands on his cousin’s cheeks and smiling. Kyungsoo thought he saw tears in the older’s eyes.

 “You’ve grown into such a handsome and well-behaved man, even though Dae tried to corrupt you!” Junmyeon finally said, making both Jongin and Kyungsoo snort with laughter. This seemed to remind Junmyeon of Kyungsoo, who was standing a bit to the side behind Jongin, giving them space. “Oh, my god, I’m so sorry, Kyungsoo! Hi, how are you? Been a while!”

 “Hi, Junmyeon,” Kyungsoo said, grinning. “I’m fine. I just thought I should stay back and let you have your reunion in peace. Or, as much peace you can have at a party.”

 Smiling, Junmyeon released Jongin to pull Kyungsoo into a hug.

 “I always liked you, Kyungsoo,” Junmyeon sighed. “Such a lucky man!”

 A bit confused by it all, Kyungsoo simply smiled and patted the older’s back. Kris, on the other hand, was full-on smirking, arms crossed over his chest.

 “Stop being awkward, Myeon,” Kris said, and Junmyeon released Kyungsoo to be able to unleash the full power of his glare at the taller.

 At least Kris had the decency to look slightly scared of the shorter man.

 “Nice to see you again, Kyungsoo, please tell my brother hi from me,” Junmyeon said, smiling at Kyungsoo, before turning to Jongin, his smile softening. “And really nice to see you again, Jongin. We need to meet up soon again and talk, it’s been so long. I’m going home, see you all later!”

 And with that, without even looking at the giant next to him, Junmyeon spun and practically marched out of the kitchen. They stood staring after him, until Kris snapped back to life and hurried after Junmyeon, a dozen of shit!’s streaming from his mouth.

 “That doesn’t seem to go quite as well…,” Kyungsoo mumbled, and Jongin shook his head.

 “I would never have believed Kris had fallen for my cousin if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, and I still don’t believe it,” Jongin said. “Oh, well. At least our friends and family are making some kind of progress with each other.”

 “Yeah, that only leaves us,” Kyungsoo muttered under his breath.

 “Huh?” Jongin asked, turning to look down at Kyungsoo.

 “What?” Kyungsoo asked, making his eyes look even larger than normally. “I didn’t say anything.”

 Jongin squinted down at him, muttering something along the lines of “I could have sworn…”, but then seemed to drop it as he once more took Kyungsoo’s hand and led him into the living room.

 Even though the room was packed, they found some space sitting in the staircase, partially shielded from the heavy bass of the music, and they could sort of maintain a conversation. Jongin never let go of Kyungsoo’s hand, and Kyungsoo never tried to reclaim his hand. When it became a bit too warm, they simply intertwined a few fingers instead.

 They saw Junmyeon being dragged back towards the kitchen by Kris, the former looking pouty and the latter grumpy. Kyungsoo and Jongin held a short discussion about the nature of the relationship, but since none had any information except for what they had seen today, they quickly dropped it. They also saw Jongdae and Liyin, in the middle of the moving bodies, laughing and dancing like no tomorrow, and Kyungsoo had another proud moment.

 They did not see Baekhyun and Chanyeol, but they thought that maybe that was also for the best.

 Kyungsoo did not know how, but they somehow ended up sitting close to each other, thighs and shoulders touching, with their connected hands resting on Jongin’s thigh. It felt nice and warm and  _ safe _ , and Kyungsoo never wanted to move.

 But all good things must come to an end, and as they finished their beers, Jongin suggested dancing. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the adorable puppy eyes, Kyungsoo did not know, but he agreed, and no sooner had he said yes had Jongin pulled him up on his feet and down to the floor. They left their bottles on a random table filled with other bottles and cups, before pushing into the pulsating mass.

 Jongin had a firm hold on Kyungsoo, and as soon as he found a fitting spot, he turned towards the shorter and gently tugged him into his arms. Kyungsoo stumbled a bit, ending up with his face against Jongin’s firm chest, but the taller did not seem to mind as his lips were stretched wide in a big smile. Kyungsoo wondered for a brief moment if it was from the contact, or from the prospect of dancing, but this thought - and every other - soon flew out of his mind as Jongin began dancing with him.

 It was silly, it was childlike, and it was  _ fun _ . Jongin wiggled back and forth, pulling on Kyungsoo’s arms so he was matching in his moves, making Kyungsoo laugh out loud. They spun around, jumped and just fooled around, like they were ten and not twenty. It was a long time since Kyungsoo felt so carefree and young, and he enjoyed every moment of it.

 Kyungsoo did not realize he was singing along to the music, until Jongin joined in. His voice was not as clean and well-pitched as Kyungsoo’s, but it was not bad, and there was something charming about the roughness of it.

 “You can dance  _ and _ sing? Double threat,” Kyungsoo said, standing up on the tips of his toes to whisper into Jongin’s ear, stabilizing himself by placing his hands on the taller’s shoulders.

 And it was not until Jongin wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo’s waist, keeping him in place, that Kyungsoo realized just how compromising the position was.

 But Kyungsoo found that he did not care in the least, and he was not the least surprised by this.

 Jongin leaned down to whisper into Kyungsoo’s ear, and as his hot breath washed over the older’s skin, Kyungsoo felt a bit faint. The low chuckle from the younger did not help at all.

 “I think you’re a bit drunk if you think my singing is good,” Jongin said back, making Kyungsoo shake his head.

 “I’m a vocal major, I don’t get drunk enough to think bad singing is good,” Kyungsoo deadpanned, making Jongin laugh out loud, his chest touching Kyungsoo’s with every breath.

 “Then I thank you for the compliment!” Jongin whispered, and Kyungsoo was sure his heart had been exchanged with the wings of a hummingbird.

 Slowly, Kyungsoo lowered himself back down onto his full feet, but Jongin did not let go, he simply moved his arms a bit to hold Kyungsoo a bit more comfortably. Kyungsoo let his hands run down Jongin’s arms, until they rested over his biceps. Jongin’s  _ very nice _ biceps.

 Even though the music was still upbeat, the two boys began swaying back and forth in a slow dance. Butterflies started dancing in Kyungsoo’s stomach, and combined with the alcohol, it made him feel a bit…  _ strange _ .

 Jongin obviously noticed, as he let go of Kyungsoo’s waist, instead putting his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders and gently guiding him through the mass of people. Some stumbled into them, but Jongin made sure that Kyungsoo was protected.

 They headed into a hallway that was dimmer than the living room, but still filled with people. Moving through, they soon came to a pair of doors that were opened, and exiting through them, they found themselves in the garden.

 The garden was large, tastefully lit with both visible and invisible lights. Trees were rustling in the light wind, and there was a fountain with running water, though Kyungsoo could barely make it out in the night. Jongin led him to the gazebo, still a stabilizing arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders, though Kyungsoo suspected the arm and the person it was attached to was part of the reason why he was feeling so dizzy.

 “Are you okay?” Jongin asked as they finally came to a stop, Kyungsoo leaning against the railing. The younger sounded so worried, and Kyungsoo smiled at him.

 “I’m fine, I think the alcohol and heat and excitement just didn’t play well,” Kyungsoo said, taking a deep breath of air.

 It was easier to breathe, but there also were no Jongin, so Kyungsoo felt a bit sad.

 Then Jongin took a step closer, dropping his head to Kyungsoo’s shoulder, and all the air left Kyungsoo’s lungs, but he did not mind.  _ The warmth was back. _

 “I’m sorry I made you dance so you began feeling bad,” Jongin mumbled, nose touching Kyungsoo’s neck ever so slightly. “You were having such a good time…”

 “I’m still having a good time, and it wasn’t your fault,” Kyungsoo said with a low chuckle. Jongin refused to answer, though, so Kyungsoo turned his head slightly to look down at the mop of dark hair by his cheek. “Jongin.”

 Jongin turned his head so that he could look up at Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo realized just how close Jongin’s lips were to his own. As if something else took over him, Kyungsoo stared at Jongin’s plump lips as he began leaning down, but before he could get very far, Jongin’s lips were already on his own.

 Fireworks exploded behind Kyungsoo’s eyelids as their lips began to move against each other. Jongin somehow managed to spin himself around, lifting his head from Kyungsoo’s shoulder to be able to kiss him deeper, warm hands cupping Kyungsoo’s cheeks. Kyungsoo felt himself getting pushed backwards against the railing, his head colliding with one of the pillars holding the gazebo roof up. Kyungsoo barely noticed the pain, his mind too preoccupied with Jongin’s lips, and Jongin’s  _ tongue _ .

 Kyungsoo had never understood what people meant when they said that tongues danced together when you kissed, but now he got it. There was no other way to explain it, and he was not surprised that the dance major Jongin managed to get their tongues to dance so perfectly together.

 Jongin had, however, noticed how he had pushed Kyungsoo, and pulled back slightly, breath strained. Not that Kyungsoo was faring any better…

 “I’m sorry,” Jongin mumbled against Kyungsoo’s lips, fingers gently fluttering over cheeks.

 “Shut up,” Kyungsoo growled, as he took a hold of Jongin’s shirt and pulling him closer, not caring that their lips smashed together in a way that would surely leave a bruise.

 Could lips bruise? Well, Kyungsoo was eager to find out.

 Jongin hesitated for half a second, before being back in full force, entire body now pushing Kyungsoo against the pillar. One hand slipped down from Kyungsoo’s face to his waist, holding him in place. Not that Kyungsoo had any plans of moving any time soon.

 Fire replaced Kyungsoo’s blood, pooling in his stomach, and he was not sure if he was breathing or not anymore, but if he died right now, he would die happy, and that was all anyone could ask for, right? Slipping his arms around Jongin’s neck, Kyungsoo fisted one hand in the hair at the back of Jongin’s neck, barely long enough to hold on to, but enough to make Jongin moan against his lips. Smirking, Kyungsoo applied a bit more pressure, soon finding Jongin’s fingers dig into the flesh of his waist.

 It would probably leave a mark, and Kyungsoo liked that idea. Hell, he loved it!

 Just as Jongin’s hand began moving from Kyungsoo’s waist, down over his hip and thigh, leaving a burning trail behind even through his clothes, Jongin gasped once, then pushed himself away. Immediately, he hunched down, head hanging and breathing heavily. Kyungsoo put his hands on his knees, leaning forwards and trying to catch his breath and reel himself in. His head was spinning in a good way, and the warmth in his stomach had moved lower…

 “Are you okay?” Kyungsoo managed to ask after finding his voice, his throat dry and raspy.

 “Yeah, yeah, fine,” Jongin mumbled, sounding much more darker than normal, and it went like lightning straight to Kyungsoo’s crotch. He barely held back a whimper, biting his lower lip. This might be getting dangerous… “I just… Overwhelmed. Need to calm down.”

 Kyungsoo sunk down to the floor, pulling his knees up, and began to chuckle. It was a strange situation to find oneself in - making out heavily in a gazebo in the garden during a college party. Jongin looked up at him, eyes still blown with desire, making Kyungsoo’s breath hitch, before he also began to chuckle. Chuckles turned into full laughter, and soon they were both wiping tears from their eyes. It did not matter that it was not as funny as it seemed to them, it just mattered that they got through what could have been a very awkward moment with laughter.

 Bonding closer to each other.

 After some time, they managed to calm down, their breathing beginning to return to normal, and they collapsed next to each other on the wooden floor. Jongin’s hand hesitantly searched out Kyungsoo’s, and Kyungsoo took it and held it with a firm grip.

 “I think I like you, hyung,” Jongin mumbled, and even though Kyungsoo was sure that the colibri wings he had for a heart exploded inside of his chest, he could not keep himself from being amused.

 Lifting his head up a bit, he pointedly looked down to where the evidence of Jongin’s ‘like’ still were visible, cocking an eyebrow.

 “Just ‘like’?” Kyungsoo asked, and Jongin pulled his knee up to hide his arousal, cheeks set ablaze. “Yeah, I can see that.”

 “You’re so mean, hyung,” Jongin muttered, an adorable pout more suited for a five year old on his lips.

 Chuckling, Kyungsoo quickly gave Jongin a peck on the cheek, his own cheeks flushing slightly at the gesture.

 “Well, I think I like you, too, Jongin. But you have to stop calling me ‘hyung’.”

 “Can I call you ‘boyfriend’?” Jongin asked, suddenly brave and with lips spreading in a smirk.

 Kyungsoo burst out laughing, even though he found out that his heart could explode twice in just a few minutes.

 “Sure, but it’ll be a bit weird in public.”

 Jongin’s smirk disappeared, replaced by a thoughtful look. “That’s true. Soo?”

 “Hm?” Kyungsoo asked, eyes sliding back to Jongin. Not that they had left for long.

 Jongin gave him a soft smile. “Just testing. Feels weird, I’m more used to ‘hyung’.”

 “Of course, if you feel more comfortable with ‘hyung’ you can use it,” Kyungsoo said, but Jongin shook his head.

 “No, you’re right, you’re my boyfriend, not my brother,” Jongin said, his eyes widening. “Boyfriend… You know, I’ve never had a boyfriend.”

 Now it was Kyungsoo’s eyes that were widening in surprise.

 “What? Are you serious? But you’re so handsome and nice and everything!”

 A grin formed on Jongin’s lips, and it was so bright. “Thank you, Soo… But no, never. I’ve never felt like this for someone, either…”

 Kyungsoo was silent for a while, before tugging on Jongin’s hand.

 “You want to hear a secret?” Kyungsoo asked as Jongin looked over at him, and the younger nodded. “I’ve never felt like this for someone else either.”

 Jongin raised their connected hands to his lips, softly kissing the backside of Kyungsoo’s hand.

 “Let’s go through this new experience together, then,” he said, and Kyungsoo smiled, nodding.

 Then they were on their sides, turned against each other and lips connected. But this time it was soft and sweet, not rushed and heated. And Kyungsoo could not decide which he liked better.

 Every kiss with Jongin was the best kiss ever.


	7. Bonus Chapter I

 Outwardly, Baekhyun looked like calmness itself. There was confidence in the way his lips curled slightly upwards, and from the way he held himself, he seemed almost arrogant.

 If you took a proper look at his eyes, though, you could see that it was all an act. Inside, he was shaking like a leaf, nervousness twisting his insides into knots.

 Yes, Baekhyun was nervous and afraid and slightly lightheaded. It was not a usual thing for Baekhyun to feel, and he did not like it. He liked to be in control, and right now, he was not.

 All because of a silly giant boy…

 The alcohol and comfort from his friends unfortunately did not do much to help ease Baekhyun’s discomfort, but at least he was good at acting. So when he actually saw Chanyeol, and his heart felt as if it was about to burst, Baekhyun made sure that his mask was firmly in place. No one could see the way his heart beat, so he did not try to calm it down - he knew it would not work. But as long as he  _ seemed _ calm, it was okay.

 Knowing that he would break down and run away before they reached Chanyeol, who were standing and talking with Kyungsoo and Jongin (who were looking totally adorable holding hands, they should just confess!), Baekhyun looked away from the giant, taking hold of Jongdae’s shirt to let the other guide him right. Jongdae barely glanced over at him, offering him an encouraging smile, before dragging Baekhyun along.

 If Baekhyun had been watching Chanyeol, he would have seen the way the taller’s eyes widened and how his lips formed a single word that was easily deciphered, gaze glued to Baekhyun. But Baekhyun was not watching, and so, he missed this.

 Jongdae was watching, though, and he smirked. He knew this would be a great party. And even better if he could find Liyin…

 Baekhyun heard Jongin introducing them, but he did not really register the words. He had looked up at Chanyeol know, as they were standing right in front of each other, and his mind went blank. Dressed in black, ripped skinny jeans and a red plaid shirt over a black v-neck t-shirt, Chanyeol looked… Yum. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled up, showing off muscular forearms, and Baekhyun wanted to feel them around him. Like  _ a lot _ .

 Chanyeol was talking, his deep voice sending shivers down Baekhyun’s spine, and then suddenly Jongdae was stomping away from them. Knowing that he should be listening, Baekhyun forced himself to hear again. Kyungsoo talked about Liyin, and Baekhyun understood why Jongdae had looked so determined. Sending his well wishes to his best friend, Baekhyun focused on what Chanyeol was saying.

 “Seriously? Wow, if only he knew…,” Chanyeol said, laughing and shaking his head, and Baekhyun loved his laughter.

 “Knew what?” Baekhyun said before he realized he had even opened his mouth.

 Chanyeol’s eyes were suddenly on him, and Baekhyun gulped. He forced himself to breath as he sunk deeper into those black orbs, knowing he could not lose himself in them. Not yet. Chanyeol was pointing at something instead of answering, and Baekhyun made his head move, giving a short celebration dance in his mind as it complied.

 At first, Baekhyun did not know what he was looking at. Then he recognized Kris - also a giant and a friend of Chanyeol’s - seemingly holding someone caged between his arms. Then Baekhyun recognized Junmyeon - Jongdae’s brother who Baekhyun had thought was his sugar daddy. The two were arguing, and Baekhyun did not understand.

 Wait a minute…

 Then it dawned.

 Kris was interested in Junmyeon?

 Chanyeol, Kyungsoo and Jongin were discussing said relationship, and Baekhyun tuned their words back in, looking back just as Chanyeol looked at him, asking if he wanted anything to drink.

 Or, well, he was asking all of them, but Baekhyun seemed to be of prime interest.

 Drawing some courage from this, Baekhyun felt some of the nervousness releasing. He smiled and accepted Chanyeol’s invitation, and then off they went.

 During the entire trip to the kitchen, Chanyeol made sure to keep an eye on Baekhyun, as if thinking the shorter would escape or something. Baekhyun simply held his soft smile in place, trying to make it reassuring.

 “We have some different things to choose between,” Chanyeol said as they entered the kitchen, motioning towards a table containing different kinds of drinks. “I would say that the unopened beer bottles are your safest bet. Do you drink beer?”

 Baekhyun nodded, licking his lips since his mouth was suddenly so dry. “Yeah, beer is great.”

 Chanyeol’s eyes had been on Baekhyun’s lips, but he quickly nodded and fetched two beer bottles, opening them and handing one to Baekhyun.

 “Do you want to go outside? It’s so hot in here,” Chanyeol said, looking almost a bit sheepish and very warm.

 Baekhyun briefly wondered if it was him who affected Chanyeol, lips curling into an almost-smirk, before nodding.

 “Sure, we can do that.”

 Chanyeol looked almost relieved, as he showed the way out onto the porch. It was much more people empty here, and Baekhyun felt as if he could breathe a bit easier.

 That was, until Chanyeol sat down on the steps, motioning for Baekhyun to do the same, and they suddenly found themselves sitting so close that their shoulders were almost touching. Suddenly, Baekhyun was only able to take short breaths that did not help with the situation at all.

 “So, Baekhyun?” Chanyeol said, deep voice washing over Baekhyun and making him shiver. “You go to the university, right? What are you majoring in?”

 “Vocals,” Baekhyun managed to say. “I’m a vocal major, same as Jongdae and Kyungsoo.”

 “Oh, really? You’re good at singing, then. I’m not surprised, though, considering your voice,” Chanyeol said, smiling down at Baekhyun who were too shocked to do anything other than stare.

 Chanyeol seemed to realize what he had said, as he turned his head away and cleared his throat, but Baekhyun could see the blush creeping up his neck.

 A very lovely neck, actually.

 “Ah, thank you! Um, so, what do you do?” Baekhyun asked, mostly to make the situation less awkward since he already knew Chanyeol’s major. And to not seem like a total stalker. That would be pretty bad.

 Chanyeol turned back, a grateful look in his eyes.

 “I’m majoring in instruments, mostly guitar and piano,” Chanyeol said.

 “Well, then you must be a great player. But with your fingers that’s not such a big surprise,” Baekhyun said, smile turning a bit mischievous.

 Chanyeol blinked at him, before bursting out laughing, and Baekhyun joined him. And just like that, the awkwardness was almost completely gone.

 “Yeah, I’ve been playing since I was young, so I should be good,” Chanyeol said. “I also dabble in some rapping.”

 This was actually news to Baekhyun, and his mouth fell open.

 “Really?”

 Chanyeol nodded. “Really, but I’m not going to rap now, sorry. Not on a porch outside of a party.”

 “But, how else can I know if you’re actually telling the truth? If you can’t prove it?” Baekhyun argued, feeling a bit robbed. He  _ wanted _ to hear Chanyeol rap, he had a feeling that that deep voice would sound great.

 “Guess you just have to trust me,” Chanyeol said, shrugging. He glanced down at Baekhyun for a moment, as if trying to decide if to say the next thing or not, but apparently deciding on the former. “Or you’ll have to wait.”

 Waiting. That indicated meeting another time, and since Chanyeol was uncomfortable with rapping in public, it meant meeting another time at a more private place. Sure. Baekhyun could do that. Baekhyun would not mind that at all.

 Baekhyun held up a hand, little finger outstretched. “Promise?”

 Grinning, Chanyeol linked his finger with Baekhyun’s. “Promise!”

 They spent the next twenty minutes - or maybe hour - just talking about different stuff. They talked about school, about interests, about friends (“Kyungsoo and Jongin should just get on with it, it’s obvious they want each other!”), and anything else they could think of. They quickly drank their beers, but none made any move to go inside and get some more.

 And the more time they spent together, the more did Baekhyun relax. The shaking on the inside completely stopped, being replaced with a nice warmth, and Baekhyun enjoyed himself tremendously. At one point, Chanyeol moved his leg so that it accidentally brushed against Baekhyun, but instead of pulling his leg back, Baekhyun just let his own leg rest against Chanyeol’s. Not long after that, they began to playfully shove each other with their shoulders, until they were more or less in constant contact, just sideways rocking back and forth.

 All of a sudden, a guy stumbled past them and further into the garden. He collapsed into a bush in a darker corner, and then the unmistakable sound of someone puking reached Baekhyun and Chanyeol.

 “I forgot we were at a party…,” Chanyeol said, groaning and grimacing. “You wanna go somewhere else?”

 Baekhyun, who was trying to keep his stomach calm, just nodded, and they quickly got up and headed inside. Chanyeol picked up two more bottles, before leading Baekhyun further into the house.

 “Do you want to dance, or continue to talk?” Chanyeol asked, leaning down to make himself heard to Baekhyun.

 “Talk,” Baekhyun said, trying to repress the shiver from the feeling of Chanyeol’s hot breath on his skin.

 Chanyeol took a hold of Baekhyun’s hand and guided him towards the staircase, keeping both the shorter and the beer safe from stumbling party-goers. Halfway up the staircase, Chanyeol came to a stop, grinning and pointing out into the masses. Looking, Baekhyun could see Jongdae dancing with Liyin - they were jumping and laughing, so that seemed to be going well. A little bit away were Kyungsoo and Jongin - standing in what could not be described in any other way than an embrace, Jongin with his hands on Kyungsoo’s waist, and Kyungsoo with his arms around Jongin’s neck. Then Jongin pulled back and took Kyungsoo’s hand instead, leading him through the mass of people and out of the room. Yes, that seemed to be going very well, too…

 “I wonder what they have planned,” Chanyeol whispered in Baekhyun’s ear suddenly, a smirk evident in his voice.

 “Hopefully nothing I wouldn’t do,” Baekhyun answered, glancing over at Chanyeol, gaze going between the taller’s eyes and lips in a  _ quite _ suggestive way.

 Chanyeol simply quirked an eyebrow, before once more leading Baekhyun away.

 They ended up in a smaller living room, completely devoid of people. This was probably because of the fact that if you did not know where it was and did not go looking in through random doors, you would never have found it. Chanyeol handed one of the beers to Baekhyun, and Baekhyun thankfully took it and drank. His mouth had gone very dry all of a sudden.

 Chanyeol sat down by the edge of the sofa, leaning his back against the armrest instead of the backrest, one long leg pulled up in the sofa. Baekhyun sat down towards the middle of the sofa, leaning with his side against the backrest and mirroring Chanyeol’s position. Their knees were just barely touching, but it was skin to skin through ripped jeans, and the point of contact was scorching.

 “How come you’re here tonight?” Chanyeol asked, voice sounding darker than it had before. “I mean, Jongin said he would come as long as he could bring some friends, so there seemed to be some ulterior motive behind it…?”

 Baekhyun smiled a small smile, though his insides were rebelling. Should he tell the truth? Should he lie? What should he do?

 “Why do you think the ulterior motive was mine?” Baekhyun asked, a bit teasingly, sounding more confident than he sounded.

 Chanyeol tilted his head slightly, eyes thinning just a fraction.

 “I’m not assuming it was yours, I was just asking for your reason to see if I could figure Jongin’s words out. But now I am actually assuming the ulterior motive is yours. Plus it seems like Jongdae doesn’t have any reasons for Jongin to make sure he got an invitation, especially not since Jongin didn’t know about his crush on Liyin until you got here. So, tell me, Baekhyun, what is your ulterior motive?”

 “Damn, your deductive skills are good,” Baekhyun muttered, side-eyeing the smirking giant. “Maybe I have an ulterior motive for being here, and maybe Jongin knew about it and that was why he fixed me and the rest an invitation, but does it really matter?”

 Chanyeol sat up straighter so that he came a bit closer to Baekhyun, a look of excited interest on his face.

 “Of course it matters! I managed to come to a conclusion that proved to be true, and now I want to know the reason! Pure curiosity, but still important!”

 Baekhyun gave a non-committing hum before taking a long swig from his bottle and putting it down on the table. Licking the beer from his lips, he took a deep breath and threw his caution and fear to hell, leaning closer towards Chanyeol and looking up at him from beneath long lashes.

 “Shouldn’t your amazing deductive skills be able to tell you that, considering I’m sitting here, in this hidden room, with  _ you _ ?” Baekhyun asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

 From this up close, Baekhyun could see the daze in Chanyeol’s eyes as Baekhyun’s gentle breath hit his lips. He could also see when the daze turned into confusion, and then, half a second later, into surprise.

 “I’m your ulterior motive?” Chanyeol asked, voice low and deep, and it sent a shiver down Baekhyun’s spine.

 Instead of answering, Baekhyun bit his lower lip and gave a single nod. Chanyeol’s eyes widened in the cutest way, before he quickly put his own bottle down on the table next to Baekhyun’s. If Baekhyun had been looking at the bottle and not been so caught up in the moment, he would have been impressed by Chanyeol’s skill of basically blindly putting the bottle down without dropping it or spilling. But, alas, Baekhyun was a bit preoccupied, and missed it.

 “Thank god for that, I think I’d gotten pretty jealous otherwise,” Chanyeol muttered, and before Baekhyun knew what was happening, two large hands were cupping his cheeks, a pair of plump lips were on his, and his eyelids were falling closed.

 Chanyeol kissed him slowly, though deeply and thoroughly. And even though he tasted of beer, Baekhyun thought Chanyeol tasted even more amazing than he had imagined.

 But the slowness was soon too little for Baekhyun, who had been wanting to feel the taller for quite some time now, and placing a hand against Chanyeol’s neck, Baekhyun increased the tempo. Getting up on his knees, Baekhyun slowly pushed Chanyeol down against the armrest, and himself down against Chanyeol. One of Chanyeol’s hands left Baekhyun’s cheeks, the arm instead coming to rest around Baekhyun’s waist. Humming his appreciation for the added pressure into the other’s mouth, Baekhyun wrapped both of his arms around Chanyeol’s neck.

 Even though the heat simmered beneath his surface, Baekhyun did not make a move to release it. He kept his body still, and the lid on everything, though he was getting close to the point of bursting. Yes, he wanted Chanyeol, but he did not want to build the relationship on sex. Baekhyun wanted to wait and see, instead of throwing himself head first into something passionate and fiery that would only last for a night. Maybe he was getting old, or maybe he had started to feel a whole lot of more affection for the giant, but Baekhyun wanted to take it slow. Well, slower than he had in the past, at least.

 So even though Baekhyun wanted to let his hands slide down Chanyeol’s chest, before creeping up beneath his shirt, letting his fingers run over those ridges of muscles he could feel press against his stomach, he did not. Instead, he raised his head slightly, lips separating.

 As he gasped for the much-needed air, staring down into those oh so dark eyes, a thought spun through Baekhyun’s mind.

 “Wait, jealous?” he asked, his voice raspy.

 Chanyeol’s eyebrows drew together into a confused frown, before a grin broke through.

 “Oh, yeah, about your ulterior motive,” Chanyeol said, sounding way more composed than Baekhyun. But Baekhyun did not mind that too much, he could feel how not composed Chanyeol actually were. “You know, even if Jongin hadn’t asked if you could come tonight, I would have asked him and Kyungsoo to bring you anyway. You looked so cute when you kidnapped Kyungsoo back in the cafeteria, and I wanted to see you again, so…”

 Baekhyun pursed his lips, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks.

 “I’m not cute…,” the shorter muttered, and if Baekhyun had not literally been right on top of him, Chanyeol would not have heard.

 “Right now you’re pretty hot, but back then, you looked adorable,” Chanyeol said with a grin. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad, ‘cute’ is a compliment!”

 “I always get called cute,” Baekhyun said, and unknowingly began to pout.

 Chuckling, Chanyeol let his hand slide towards Baekhyun’s mouth, three fingers slipping over lips.

 “Pouting doesn’t make it better!” Chanyeol sing-songed, before turning serious. “Put your hands on the armrest and hold yourself up.”

 Baekhyun did as Chanyeol said, unwrapping his arms and getting up, tilting his head slightly in confusion as his eyes squinted slightly.

 Chanyeol tapped his own chin with a finger as he tutted, then nodded.

 “Right now, you look really sexy. You look like a model ready to devour me, and I wouldn’t mind or try to stop you.” Baekhyun gave a small smirk at the words, and Chanyeol mirrored it. “Look at that, I’m sure you can feel what you’re doing to me right now. You could plunge a knife into my stomach at the same time as you plunged your tongue into my mouth, and I would let you get away with it! Fatally handsome looks, but then you also got your softer side, the cute and adorable side, and I really like that side, too!”

 Startled by the words, Baekhyun’s mouth turned into a small ‘o’, at the same time that Chanyeol’s eyes widened, seemingly surprised by himself. As the blush began to spill over Chanyeol’s cheeks, Baekhyun gave a soft smile.

 “You know, you’re really cute, too,” Baekhyun said quietly, still smiling. “And I think I like your cute side also.”

 With cheeks turning even redder, Chanyeol put his arms around Baekhyun and pulled the shorter down on top of his chest, cuddling him close.

 “You’re like the freaking sun…,” Chanyeol muttered into Baekhyun’s hair, making him chuckle.

 “And you’re like a radiator, or maybe even a volcano,” Baekhyun countered, before laying down properly, head against his chest. His ear was perfectly placed over the taller’s heart, and he could hear it frantically beating. Not too unlike his own heart. “You can calm down now, I’ve stopped kissing you, and you’ve basically gotten an answer to your impromptu confession.”

 Chanyeol snorted, arms tightening around Baekhyun. “My heart isn’t listening at the moment, I think it fried after your beaming smile. With all your different sides, you’ll probably be the death of me, Baekhyun.”

 Looking up, Baekhyun pressed a small kiss to Chanyeol’s jaw.

 “Do you mind that?” he asked, letting a finger follow the curves from Chanyeol’s chin down to his collarbones.

 “Not at all. Like I said, plunge a knife and a tongue into me at the same time, and I’ll still let you get away with it, and probably adore you,” Chanyeol said with a sigh, but Baekhyun could see the genuine smile on his lips.

 “See, then it’s no problem,” Baekhyun purred, before once more making himself comfortable.

 And just like that, locked in an embrace and calmed by the closeness of each other, the two fell asleep.


	8. Chapter VII

 Kyungsoo woke up with Jongin’s strong arms around him, making him feel safe. Though it was a bit uncomfortable sleeping in the same position and in the same clothes for an entire night, and  _ very _ warm, Kyungsoo did not mind too much.

 As if sensing that Kyungsoo was waking up, Jongin stirred, tightening his arms and bringing the older closer. That was when Kyungsoo realized that they had intertwined their legs at some point during the night, and for some reason, it made him feel all fuzzy inside.

 But he also had to pee, so he began to poke Jongin.

 “Jongin, wake up,” Kyungsoo whispered as he carefully poked the younger’s chest. When he did not react, Kyungsoo began to apply more force. “Jonginnie! Wake up!”

 Kyungsoo accidentally poked a rib, and Jongin gave a cute, sleepy giggle. Kyungsoo smiled.

 “Are you ticklish, Jonginnie? You have to wake up,” Kyungsoo sing-sang, now fully focused on poking Jongin’s sides.

 It did not take long for the giggles to evolve into full laughter, and in an attempt to escape, Jongin almost wiggled out of the bed. Kyungsoo quickly grabbed the younger to keep him off of the floor, and Jongin’s eyelids flew open in fear.

 “Why are you pushing me out of bed?” Jongin whined as he wiggled closer to Kyungsoo again, throwing an arm around him. “I thought you liked me!”

 “I was trying to wake you up, I need to go to the bathroom,” Kyungsoo answered, lightly pushing at Jongin to make him move back.

 Whimpering, Jongin rolled over onto his back, effectively releasing Kyungsoo by spreading himself out into a starfish. Chuckling at the sight, Kyungsoo got out of bed and quickly took care of business, before crawling back into bed. Snuggling up to Jongin’s side, Kyungsoo soon found himself in a warm embrace again.

 The shrill ring of his doorbell cut through Kyungsoo’s tranquility, and he gave an annoyed frown, but made no move to get out of bed again. The doorbell rang again, and then there was insistent knocks on the door, and Jongin opened his arms with a sigh. Kyungsoo gave a matching sigh as he once more got up and headed towards the door.

 “Do Kyungsoo, I know you’re in there, open up!” Kyungsoo could hear Jongdae’s voice from the other side of the door.

 Feeling very annoyed, Kyungsoo unlocked and tore the door open, ready to stare his friend down. But the frayed look on Jongdae’s face made Kyungsoo stutter and almost take a step back.

 “I couldn’t find Baek yesterday, and he’s still not home, and he’s not answering his phone,” Jongdae rushed, the panic evident in his voice. It took Kyungsoo a second to register the words, but as soon as they did, he pulled Jongdae inside.

 “What? But wasn’t he with Chanyeol? Have you tried contacting him?” Kyungsoo asked as he closed the door, feeling the waves of fear wash over him and hold his heart in a vice-like grip.

 “No, I don’t have his number, but Jongin is here, right?” Jongdae asked, holding on to Kyungsoo’s sleeve. Any other time, Kyungsoo would have adored the childish gesture, but right now, he was too worried to think about it.

 “Uh, yes, he is, how did you know?” Kyungsoo asked, but Jongdae had already headed towards the bedroom, leaving Kyungsoo to follow.

 Jongin was sitting cross-legged on the bed, looking quite surprised to see his cousin. Kyungsoo took half a second to admire the man, before switching back to worried friend.

 “You have Chanyeol’s number, right?” Jongdae asked, sitting down on his knees on the bed. “Can you try to call him? Baek is MIA, and not answering his phone…”

 Simply nodding, Jongin leaned over towards the bedside table where he had put his phone before they went to bed, and scrolled down to Chanyeol’s contact. The bedroom was completely silent as they waited, the ringing tone set on speakers echoing around the room.

 “Hello?” Chanyeol’s deep voice finally came. “Jongin?”

 “Hey, hyung,” Jongin answered. “I was just wondering if you happened to have Baekhyun there?”

 “Yeah, I’m here,” came Baekhyun’s voice, and both Jongdae and Kyungsoo released breaths they had not realized they were holding. “Why?”

 Before Jongin had a chance to answer, though, Jongdae leaned forwards.

 “Answer your phone, you lil shit!” Jongdae barked, and a low chuckle was heard from the other end of the line.

 “I forgot to charge it, I don’t have any battery!” Baekhyun yelled back, sounding just as annoyed as Jongdae.

 Now Kyungsoo walked over to the bed and leaned towards the phone, Jongin holding it out towards him.

 “You’re an idiot,” Kyungsoo simply said, and this time Baekhyun’s soft laughter was heard.

 “I know, Soo, I know. I’m sorry for worrying you guys, but what are all of you doing there? Are you in my apartment?” Baekhyun asked.

 “Nah, in Soo’s, I had to get someone who I knew had Yeollie’s number,” Jongdae answered, his anger seemingly gone.

 “Yeollie?” Chanyeol asked, but he was quickly interrupted by Baekhyun’s very loud gasp.

 “You’re in Soo’s apartment? To get someone who has Yeollie’s number? Meaning Jonginnie? Jonginnie is in Soo’s apartment? Are you kidding me?” Baekhyun said, giving a very loud squeal, before turning serious again. “Wait, are they dressed?”

 “Yes, we’re dressed, you pervert!” Kyungsoo yelled at the phone, warmth filling his cheeks.

 “Geez, calm down, Soo, I just wanted to make sure Dae didn’t walk in on you doing something, embarrassing the lot of you. That’s my job!” Baekhyun said proudly and stubbornly, an adoring chuckle accompanying his voice.

 “What state of undressed are you in?” Jongdae asked, earning himself an alarmed look from Jongin, and a glare from Kyungsoo.

 A dark Baekhyun-chuckle was heard from the phone. “Oh, wouldn’t you love to know that, huh?”

 “We haven’t done anything.”

 “Chanyeol!”

 “What? I’m not going to give your friends the bad impression of having sex with you the first time we properly meet, and at a party at that!”

 “Well…,” both Jongdae and Kyungsoo say, before bursting out laughing at their synchronization.

 “No, that’s unfair!” Baekhyun protest, knowing where they were going. “I’m not talking to you anymore, bye!”

 And just like that, before anyone had a chance to say something, the call was ended. Kyungsoo sat down on the bed, supporting himself on one arm.

 “He seemed to be doing fine,” Jongin slowly said.

 “I can’t believe he forgot to charge his phone - again,” Jongdae muttered, Kyungsoo nodding in agreement. “Is he really an adult? He’s too irresponsible to be one! Ugh!”

 “So, how did it go with Liyin yesterday?” Kyungsoo asked, needing to find a way to distract his friend from Baekhyun. Sure, Kyungsoo was also disappointed in the older, but it was not worth getting worked up over.

 Immediately, Jongdae’s face changed into a pout, and Kyungsoo feared that his distraction had backfired.

 “Okay, I guess…,” Jongdae muttered. “We danced and talked, and she let me follow her home, and I got a kiss on the cheek…”

 “Then it’s moving forwards, right?” Kyungsoo tried to cheer Jongdae up, offering him an awkward smile.

 Jongdae just shrugged, playing with the cover. “I guess so… I’m gonna go mop at my place and eat some ice cream, so I can attack Baek and punish him when he gets back…”

 “Okay, do you want company?” Kyungsoo asked, slightly worried about his friend.

 With a sigh, Jongdae got up from the bed, shaking his head. “No, I’m not going to be your cockblocker, thank you very much. Remember this later!”

 And with that, Jongdae left the room, and soon, the outer door was heard opening and closing. Kyungsoo had been watching the other man leave, not paying any attention to anything around him, when a pair of arms suddenly snaked around his chest. With a cry of surprise, Kyungsoo found himself being dragged down onto the bed, back against a firm chest.

 “It’s too early to be awake,” Jongin murmured against his hair, and Kyungsoo did not try to repress the shiver. There was nothing to hide anymore.

 Looking at his alarm clock, Kyungsoo gave a laugh.

 “It’s almost lunch, it’s actually really late to wake up,” he said, earning himself a low hum. “I can’t believe I’m in bed this late…”

 But even though he said that, Kyungsoo made no move to get out of bed. If he were to be honest with himself, Kyungsoo could spend the entire night in bed as long as it was with Jongin there, too.

 They lay in silent for a while, Kyungsoo almost lulled back asleep, when Jongin gave a soft whine.

 “Soo…,” he mumbled. “I’m not feeling good… My head is hurting…”

 It took Kyungsoo a second to connect it, but when he did, he began to chuckle.

 “Are you hungover? You’re a real lightweight, aren’t you?” Kyungsoo teased as he slipped out of Jongin’s arms. Grumbling a bit, Jongin threw an arm over his eyes.

 “This is the first time I’ve drunk alcohol in a really long time,” Jongin muttered.

 Giving the poor boy a comforting pat on his arm, Kyungsoo told him to stay put, before crawling out of the bed and heading for the kitchen. When he returned, he had a glass of water in one hand, and some painkillers in the other.

 “Here, take this,” he told the younger. “It will make you feel better.”

 Jongin slowly sat up and obeyed, before sinking down against the pillows again. Not being able to take how pitiful his boyfriend (Kyungsoo freaked out a little over using the word) looked, Kyungsoo laid down in the bed again, before holding open his arms.

 “Come here,” he cooed, and it barely took a second before Jongin had snuggled up to him.

 Humming, Kyungsoo gently dragged his fingers through Jongin’s hair, feeling the younger slowly relaxing, until he was sure he was sleeping.

 “Can I just stay like this forever?” Jongin suddenly mumbled, drawing a surprised chuckle out of Kyungsoo.

 “Whenever you want or need it, I’ll be here to hold you,” Kyungsoo promised, even though the cheesy words made him cringe slightly. The soft laugh Jongin gave was totally worth it, though.

 “Never knew you were that cheesy…,” was the last thing Jongin said, before he slipped down into his dreams, gentle snores slowly dragging Kyungsoo under as well.

 

 Kyungsoo was practicing his song in the usual studio, Jongdae there to help him with what he needed to improve on, when Baekhyun suddenly burst into the room.

 “I’m so sorry I’m late, Soo!” Baekhyun wailed as he pulled Kyungsoo into a crushing hug. “I just remembered that I’d promised to help you!”

 Kyungsoo awkwardly patted his friend’s back, trying to breathe. “It’s okay, Baek, we just started. Calm down.”

 Baekhyun gave one last squeeze, before releasing Kyungsoo and sitting down in a chair next to Jongdae.

 “Where were you, man?” Jongdae asked, crossing his arms behind his head as Kyungsoo drank some water.

 “Oh, I was trying to convince Yeol to rap for me, but he’s still resisting my amazing charms…,” Baekhyun sighed.

 “That reminds me, if you do good, I have a reward for you,” Kyungsoo said, putting down his water bottle and coming to stand in front of the two men.

 Baekhyun’s eyes lit up, and he clutched his hands in front of him.

 “A reward? For me? What is it?”

 Kyungsoo held up a finger and wiggled it in front of Baekhyun’s face, shaking his head. “Not until we’re done! Consider it your motivation!”

 “Don’t you need more motivation than me? I mean, I’m totally fine with listening to you singing, I like it, but you don’t like singing in front of people,” Baekhyun deadpanned, crossing his arms over his chest. “You always try to make these sessions as short as possible?”

 Laughing, Jongdae placed an arm over Baekhyun’s shoulder, pulling the other closer.

 “Oh, don’t you worry about that! Jongin has that all covered…”

 Baekhyun’s suddenly widened eyes and small smile made him look slightly manic as he looked between the now chuckling Jongdae and the slightly blushing Kyungsoo.

 “Wait, what? You’re being rewarded with sex? Really?” Baekhyun asked in a calm voice, though he seemed far from calm.

 “What, no! Of course not!” Kyungsoo spluttered, holding up both hands. “No! He was here before and Jongdae explained what we were doing, and asking if he could help with motivation, and Jongin said that he’d take me to see his dogs if I did good! Oh my god, get your mind out of the gutter…”

 “Seriously, they’re real dogs, not an euphemism. I’ve met them, they’re adorable,” Jongdae answered Baekhyun’s questioning glance. “Though I think a cuddle would be better motivation…”

 “No, he hugs me so much anyway,” Kyungsoo mumbled a bit distractedly as he looked through his papers of the lyrics. Sure, he had learned most of them, but a little more practice was never a bad thing. And then he realized what he had said, glancing up at his two best friends. “Shit…”

 “He’s a clinger? But he doesn’t look like a clinger!” Baekhyun exclaimed.

 “He’s still clingy? I thought that went away when he grew up!” Jongdae exclaimed.

 Baekhyun scooted forwards to the edge of his seat, getting closer to Kyungsoo. “Big spoon or little spoon? This is important, Soo! And is it only hugs? Or kisses, too?”

 Kyungsoo stared at Baekhyun in thinly concealed horror. “I’m not going to answer any of those questions! Why do you even want to know?”

 “Because I want to know! It’s purely scientific,” Baekhyun said, putting on his (in)famous pout. “I have a theory that many men that are taller than their partner likes to be the smaller spoon, though they are preconceived to supposedly always be the bigger.”

 Kyungsoo and Jongdae just stared at Baekhyun, who sank back a little bit in his chair.

 “You know, when he puts it like that, it actually sounds scientific, and makes me interested too,” Jongdae said, turning towards Kyungsoo, who rolled his eyes.

 “You’re too gullible, Dae,” Kyungsoo muttered, putting his papers down on the table.

 “No, it’s an interesting question!” Jongdae argued. “We need to get some facts on this, and you’re prime example!”

 “Go do your own research instead of involving me!” Kyungsoo shot back, just as the door opened behind him.

 “Are you guys alright?” Jongin asked, head poking inside.

 The younger was looking a bit sweaty after dancing, but Kyungsoo did not mind. He was almost getting worried with how little he minded, considering sweat was sticky and nasty.

 “Save me?” Kyungsoo pleaded, acting cute in a way Baekhyun and Jongdae rarely saw, making them gasp in surprise.

 Chuckling, Jongin leaned against the door opening, arms crossed. “What horrors are they putting you through? You know you sing really good, so if it’s that, just ignore them.”

 “Oh, no, we’re trying to conduct a scientific study!” Baekhyun piped up, smile growing on his lips.

 “They want to know how’s the small spoon, and who’s the big,” Kyungsoo answered in a dry voice.

 Jongin’s mouth formed a small ‘o’ as his cheeks turned the slightest pink color, and he stood up straight again.

 “Uh, well, practice well, and I’ll see you later!” Jongin said, rushing forwards to press a quick kiss to Kyungsoo’s cheek, before retreating out through the door.

 “That traitor…,” Kyungsoo muttered, but there was a small, affectionate smile on his lips, and a bit of blush on his face.

 The sound of gagging made him return to reality, and Kyungsoo turned around to find Baekhyun mimicking puking, whilst Jongdae was cringing and flexing his hands.

 “I can’t deal with all of this sugary sweetness!” Jongdae exclaimed.

 “Who would have thought that our little Satan-Soo could act so cutely!” Baekhyun cooed, earning himself a slap on the arm, and he burst out laughing. “There he is!”

 “Shut up, and let’s get back to work,” Kyungsoo muttered, though his blush had increased.

 

 One hour later, Chanyeol came in the search of Baekhyun, and Kyungsoo called the practice finished. As promised, Kyungsoo fetched his bag to get out Baekhyun’s reward.

 “Hey, wait, what are those?” Chanyeol, who were standing behind Baekhyun’s chair, asked, pointing towards the catalogues Kyungsoo was pulling out. “I recognize them…”

 Baekhyun’s eyes lit up as he squealed, clapping his hands together. He understood what it was.

 “Are those school catalogues?” Jongdae asked, squinting as Kyungsoo came closer with the prize.

 All color drained from Chanyeol’s face, mouth falling open.

 “No…,” he whispered, but no one heard him.

 “Oh, and mom said she would personally kill whoever ruins them, just so you know,” Kyungsoo said as he placed the books in Baekhyun’s waiting hands. But he was looking at Chanyeol as he said it. “Not the slightest tear will be accepted, and knowing my mom, she will see it, no matter how small you think it is.”

 Baekhyun looked as if he was handling a mythological treasure as he slowly placed the books in his lap, before opening the first one. It was the oldest, from where Kyungsoo was only three, and Chanyeol four years old.

 It was not hard to find the owl-eyed, serious-looking boy in the picture, sitting in the middle of the front row. Finding the tall, lanky man standing with his hands over his face behind Baekhyun right now, that was a whole other story.

 “I can’t believe you haven’t changed at all, Soo,” Jongdae muttered as he squinted down at the picture. “Have you even grown since then?”

 Kyungsoo absentmindedly punched Jongdae’s shoulder as he leaned in and joined Baekhyun in his efforts of finding Chanyeol. It felt a bit like cheating to look at the names at the bottom of the page, but since none of them could find him, and Chanyeol himself was of no use, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun finally gave up.

 “Park, Park, Park… Park Chanyeol! Middle row, on the edge…,” Baekhyun mumbled, letting his finger slide over the page as he did his search.

 It came to a stop below the face of the boy supposedly being Park Chanyeol. They all looked at him, including Chanyeol, who were peeking through his fingers, letting out a groan as he saw that they had found him.

 Kyungsoo and Jongdae looked at the picture, before they looked up at Chanyeol, and then down at the picture again, whilst Baekhyun’s eyes never left the boy in the picture.

 “This… This is you…?” Baekhyun asked in a quiet voice, earning himself a whimper from the tall man behind him. “You look… You look so…-”

 “Fat?” Chanyeol supplied in a depressed voice.

 “ADORABLE! Oh my lord, you look so adorable! So round and cute, and look at your little glasses!” Baekhyun babbled, holding up the catalogue closer to his face. The beaming smile on his face told Kyungsoo a whole lot of things.

 Looking up at Chanyeol, Kyungsoo could see the small, but very gentle, smile on the taller’s lips, obscured by his hands.

 “I still can’t believe you look exactly the same,” Jongdae muttered. He was sitting with one of the catalogues, page open on another of Kyungsoo’s classes, phone in hand.

 “What are you doing?” Kyungsoo asked, suddenly feeling very suspicious.

 Jongdae looked up from his phone, giving Kyungsoo a lazy grin. “Nothing, just texting my cousin…”

 Kyungsoo’s already large eyes widened even more, dread filling him.

 “No way… You sent Jongin a picture of me?” Kyungsoo whispered, feeling the color drain from his face.

 “Don’t worry, it’s not like it’s any worry,” Jongdae said, waving his hand dismissively. “You look exactly the same as now, just with different hair!”

 “Karma is a bitch!” Chanyeol piped up from behind Baekhyun, but cowering back as Kyungsoo turned towards him with murder in his eyes.

 “So cute!” was suddenly heard as Jongin entered the studio, holding up his phone with the picture of a four year old Kyungsoo on it, his lips stretched wide in a smile. “So small and cute! Are there more?”

 Chanyeol beckoned for Jongin to come closer and look at the catalogue in Baekhyun’s hands, obviously revelling in bringing someone else down with him, and completely ignoring the glares Kyungsoo was sending him.

 And so, the next thirty minutes were spent cooing and laughing over both Kyungsoo and Chanyeol. Kyungsoo stayed more or less the same during the entire entire ten years worth of class pictures, whilst Chanyeol went from the chubby, short boy, to more like his nowadays tall and lanky ways in his teenage years.

 Finally, Kyungsoo had enough, and after a promise from Baekhyun to keep the catalogues safe, he dragged Jongin with him from the studio, trying to make the younger remember his promise about the dogs.

 A more kind of proud parent-like sparkle entered Jongin’s eyes, though his wide smile stayed the same.

 “Oh, I had almost forgotten about the babies! It’s been so long since I saw them…,” Jongin said, a bittersweet softness to his voice.

 Offering him a smile, Kyungsoo took Jongin’s hand and gently pressed it as they walked down the corridor.

 “Let’s hurry to see them now, then,” he said, and Jongin looked down at him and smiled, nodding.

 “Yeah, let’s do that…”

 

 They took the bus to the outskirts of the city, where the landscape consisted of rolling fields and frollicing forests, and the houses grew larger and further apart. Kyungsoo knew Jongin was rich, but it was still slightly unsettling to know that you would soon step into one of those houses, when your own childhood home was barely half the size.

 “Is this where you grew up?” Kyungsoo asked at one point, making Jongin look up from where he had been playing with Kyungsoo’s fingers in his lap.

 “Hm? Oh, no, we’re going to my sister’s house. My parents refused to let them live in our house, after they got a bit rough playing…,” Jongin answered, and Kyungsoo could see how hurt Jongin was by this, even though he tried to not let it show. “My oldest sister said she didn’t mind taking them, and now they live with her and her family! I think they prefer it, honestly, since my sister and her kids like to spoil them…”

 Kyungsoo, who had been feeling a bit nervous, smiled at the apparent adoration behind Jongin’s words.

 “Well, if it’s your sister, I don’t have to worry as much as if it had been meeting your parents,” Kyungsoo joked, though his heart was still beating very quickly and almost a bit shallow.

 Chuckling, Jongin wrapped his arm around Kyungsoo, pulling him closer into his warmth.

 “Are you worried about meeting my family?” Jongin cooed, pressing his face against Kyungsoo’s neck. “I would probably be pretty scared too, to be honest… But don’t worry, my sister said she would be out, and when you meet them all, I’ll be there to keep you safe.”

 Another kind of feeling took over in making Kyungsoo’s heart beat faster, and he was glad that Jongin could not see him right now.

 “I’ll hold you to that,” Kyungsoo mumbled against the younger’s hair, drawing another chuckle out of him.

 

 “Yes, I’m sure it’s okay, now come on! My sister doesn’t mind, or else I wouldn’t have a key!” Jongin said as he tried to get Kyungsoo to step into the house. It was smaller than many around it, but still huge in Kyungsoo’s eyes.

 “That’s for you, but what about me? Does she even know I’m here?” Kyungsoo asked, worrying his lower lip as he cautiously peeked inside the foyer.

 It was so big and bright and airy, and everything Kyungsoo thought of when he thought of rich people’s homes.

 Jongin rolled his eyes as he took a hold of Kyungsoo’s hand and yanked the older inside, making Kyungsoo curse the younger’s strength.

 “She knows, I told her, and I had to make her promise to stay away so as not to scare you away. She has no problems with it, and if I had let her, she would be standing here, fawning over you and how adorable you are. Let’s go!”

 Since Kyungsoo were already inside, he gave up the fight and took his shoes off, picking them up and carrying them with him as per Jongin’s request. They walked into a large living room, complete with dark grey couches that perfectly contrasted the light walls, and child toys laying strewn about. They came to a stop by a wall made out of glass, with a door leading out into a patio.

 Kyungsoo noticed the change in Jongin, and looking out into the garden, he could see three little things running around. Putting on his shoes again, Jongin unlocked the door, sending Kyungsoo an ecstatic grin, and pulling it open.

 “My babies!” Jongin called out, and with happy barks, the three dogs rushed towards him. Within moments, he was sitting on the ground, laughing in sheer joy as his dogs overran him, tails going crazy. “Yes, I’ve missed you a lot, too!”

 Smiling at the scene in front of him, Kyungsoo slipped on his shoes and walked out onto the patio, trying to make as little noise as possible. One of the dogs noticed him, though, and ran towards him, standing up on its hind legs to be able to sniff his hands, drawing a startled chuckle out of Kyungsoo. Leaning down a bit, he let the dog sniff his hands, before petting it.

 “That’s Jjangah, she’s the youngest,” Jongin said softly when he noticed that one of the dogs had abandoned him. “I’ve always known she has good taste, but she’s a girl, so. This is Monggu, and this is Jjanggu. I know some people think they look very much alike, even if I don’t see it, so don’t worry if you don’t get the names right.”

 “Nice to meet you, Jjangah,” Kyungsoo said, grinning as the dog licked his face. “And very nice to meet you too, Monggu and Jjanggu, even though you look like twins and I probably won’t remember who’s who.”

 Hearing their names being called by someone else, and discovering there was someone else there besides Jongin, Monggu and Jjanggu quickly abandoned their dad to crowd around Kyungsoo. It did not take long before he, too, was sitting down, dogs piling on top of him, making him laugh.

 “You traitors, I come to say hello, and you abandon me for the new guy,” Jongin said in a mocked hurt tone, still grinning widely as he witnessed the attack on his boyfriend. “I didn’t raise you guys well enough!”

 “I’d say they’re very well-raised, making sure to make me feel welcomed,” Kyungsoo said, trying to pat all three dogs the same, not wanting to spend less time and care on any of them. He felt a strange need to be fair to them.

 “But I’m feeling lonely!” Jongin exclaimed, giving a pout. Getting no more response than a laughter from Kyungsoo, Jongin put his arm over his eyes and began to sob. Funnily enough, one of the dogs - Monggu or Jjanggu, Kyungsoo did not know - broke away from the rest and walked over to Jongin, sitting down and tilting its head at its owner.

 With a happy squeal, Jongin put his arms around the dog. “Monggu, you returned! Daddy loves you so much, don’t leave me again!”

 “You’re so needy,” Kyungsoo said, chuckling and scratching Jjangah behind an ear.

 Jongin gave an indignant snort, putting his nose into the air.

 “I just like feeling loved, that’s all,” he said, and somewhere deep down, the confession tugged at Kyungsoo’s heartstrings. But for now, he ignored it. It was not the time to talk about sad stuff, not with three dogs showering them with attention and happiness.

 “I guess that’s why you got three dogs instead of one,” Kyungsoo joked. “Though I have no idea why you fell for me!”

 Jongin, who had been snuggling with Monggu, looked up at Kyungsoo a bit startled.

 “What do you mean?”

 Kyungsoo tilted his head to the side. “My nickname is Satan-Soo, didn’t you know that? And I mean, it’s not without reason?”

 “Well, sure, you can be quite… Uh, stern and scary,” Jongin said, shrugging. “But I see that it’s always a facade, and that you care deeply for your friends. Do you know how many times I see you smile secretly as you watch Baekhyun and Jongdae fool around, even if you scold them the next second? I feel it every time you take care of me, or hug me, or kiss me. There’s a reason for your nickname, but you’re so much more than that, filled with so much love and gentleness. You like to take care of people, and worry probably a bit too much about them. I mean, in reality, we haven’t known each other for that long, but I can still see it clearly in you.”

 Kyungsoo hid his flaming face in the fur of one of the dogs, not seeing who it was. He was not used to being complimented, and it being Jongin made it worse.

 “Aw, did you get all embarrassed now?” Jongin cooed. “You’re so cute! But it’s true, though. Do you want to go for a walk with the babies?”

 At the word ‘walk’, all dogs stopped in their tracks, turning towards Jongin. His smile almost split his face in two as they suddenly were all over him again, barking and nosing him.

 “I don’t think we have a choice now,” Kyungsoo said, laughing at the scene in front of him.

 

 They went for a walk in a park close to Jongin’s sister’s house, Kyungsoo having the honor of holding Jjangah’s leash. It was the first time he properly walked a dog, and he was surprised by the amount of power in the small body.

 “Just like you,” Jongin teased, earning himself a slap to the arm.

 It was late afternoon when they got back to the house, letting the dogs out in the garden and saying goodbye to them. Kyungsoo’s heart broke from the pain radiating off of Jongin as he kneeled down and hugged all three dogs - it was clear that he loved them all a lot.

 “I promise I’ll be back soon to visit,” Jongin mumbled as he gave Jjanggu one last pat and getting up. “Daddy’s busy, but not too busy for my little babies, so just wait for me! And I’ll make sure to bring Soo again for you to play with. I saw that you noticed he’s special to daddy, and I’m happy you like him, too! Bye, my little darlings!”

 As they walked back to the entrance, Jongin kept looking back towards the dogs and waving, as all three were standing lined up by the windows, looking after them. When they walked out of the door and locking behind them, Kyungsoo took Jongin’s hand, holding it firmly and reassuring the younger that it was okay. Jongin sighed and pressed Kyungsoo’s hand back, leading him towards the bus stop, and further from his dogs, though it was obvious he wanted nothing more than go back.

 During the ride back, Jongin sat with his head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, and Kyungsoo’s thigh pulled over his own.

 “Distract me?” he whispered at one point, and Kyungsoo quickly tried to think of something.

 “Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you, I’m finally getting a roommate apparently,” Kyungsoo said, trying to make his tone light.

 “Really? And what do you mean finally, don’t you like having the whole place to yourself?” Jongin asked.

 “Sure, sometimes, but then I see how fun Baek and Dae have together, and miss that. It’s a shame you can’t move in with me, I think that would have been even better,” Kyungsoo joked, giving a startled cry as Jongin suddenly sat up straight.

 “Oh, no… The campus is split into genders, right? What if a really hot guy moves in with you, and you forget all about me?” Jongin asked, looking down at Kyungsoo.

 “Yes, because that would  _ totally _ happen,” Kyungsoo deadpanned, lips pursed. “I happen to like your personality as well as your body, Jongin, and I won’t throw myself at the next hot guy I see. Have a little faith, thank you!”

 Jongin grumbled a bit as he placed his head back on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, taking a hold of the older’s hand. “This entire experience is a first for me, it’s not strange that I feel a bit insecure…”

 “I’m the one who should feel insecure, considering you’re a dancer, very attractive, and this is, as you said, a first experience for you. What if you start to feel like you want to explore more, and leave me behind?” Kyungsoo said, and a small piece of his heart was very uncomfortable with the current discussion.

 And when Jongin began to laugh, Kyungsoo started to feel quite annoyed instead.

 “I can’t promise you that I’ll be here forever, that’s pretty naive, but I know that it’ll be hard to find something as nice as this,” Jongin said, slotting his fingers between Kyungsoo’s. “I’m too lazy and comfortable to try anything new.”

 “Great to know that you’re growing too comfortable in our relationship,” Kyungsoo said in a dry voice, but at the same time, he felt more at peace.

 Jongin chuckled, before turning his head and pressing a kiss to Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “So, do you know anything more about your new roomie?”

 “Not really,” Kyungsoo sighed, the warmth from Jongin’s lips seeping through his shirt. “All I know is that his last name is Lee, and that he’ll move in tomorrow.”

 “Lee, huh?” Jongin mumbled. “You know, my childhood friend’s last name was Lee…”

 “Oh, no, not another one!” Kyungsoo exclaimed, throwing his free hand into the air. “I don’t need another person connected to you somehow, the shock from Jongdae was enough!”

 Jongin just laughed, pressing a kiss to Kyungsoo’s neck.

 

 Kyungsoo had just woken up and made breakfast the next day, when there was a knock on the door. Thinking it was Baekhyun coming over to return the school catalogues, Kyungsoo left his food and went to the door, not thinking about how he was looking.

 Opening the door, his heart almost stopped as he looked up at a guy that looked almost like the splitting image of Jongin, but with blonde hair. If Kyungsoo had not needed the time to get his breathing back in order, he would probably have flung himself at the man, thinking it actually  _ was _ Jongin.

 “Hello, new roommate!”


	9. VIII

 The man stood in the doorway, smile fading a bit as Kyungsoo just stared at him.

 “Uhm… I’m Lee Taemin, your new roommate…?” the man said, and Kyungsoo forced himself to shake it off.

 “Oh, yeah, sorry! You just look… Insanely alike a, hm, friend,” Kyungsoo said, putting on a smile as he opened the door wider. “Come in! Lee Taemin, you said? I’m Do Kyungsoo, nice to meet you!”

 Maybe he should have used ‘boyfriend’ instead, but Kyungsoo did not know how Taemin would react to it. He would see it sooner or later, but Kyungsoo would rather keep it to himself for now.

 “Nice to meet you, too, Do Kyungsoo!” Taemin said, beaming grin in place. “I look like your friend? That’s pretty fun, and I understand why you looked so shocked! I was a bit scared no one had let you know that you would get a new roommate!”

 Kyungsoo showed Taemin around in the little apartment, offering him some breakfast. At first, Taemin politely declined, but after his stomach growled from hunger, he had no real reason to say no, and Kyungsoo forced him to have at least a little bit.

 “I always make too much, anyway, since my friends have a tendency to come over and have breakfast with me,” Kyungsoo explained as he took out a plate and some cutlery, putting it down in front of Taemin, motioning for him to dig in.

 “Oh, I don’t mind that at all,” Taemin said as he put some food on his plate, and literally devoured it. “Wow, Kyungsoo, this is really good! No wonder your friends come over if you cook this well!”

 “Ah, they’re just too lazy to make their own food,” Kyungsoo mumbled, trying to ignore the heat in his cheeks. “After you’re done eating, we can go for a tour around the school, if you want to?”

 Taemin swallowed his bite, before giving Kyungsoo another bright smile. In a way, it reminded him of Jongin, who also had a tendency to smile a lot.

 “Sounds great! I have to say, I was a bit afraid I would get a horrible roommate, since they told me you haven’t had any during your years here, but you seem like a really nice dude,” Taemin said, making Kyungsoo chuckle.

 “You don’t seem too bad yourself, Taemin. I think we’ll get along just fine!”

 

 As promised, Kyungsoo quickly got dressed after breakfast - Taemin persuading Kyungsoo to let him do the dishes, since Kyungsoo had made the food - and when he was done, they set out for the school building.

 “What’s your major?” Kyungsoo asked as they got close, wanting to know where to focus the tour.

 “Majoring in dance, but minor in vocals,” Taemin replied.

 “Ah, makes it easier, and we’ll have some classes together,” Kyungsoo said as he steered them in a direction. “The dance studios and practice and recording studios for the musicians and vocalists are in the same building, so you’ll spend most of the time in there.”

 Inside of the building, they met Baekhyun and Chanyeol, who were deep in a discussion on their way to one of the studios. They quickly made introductions, and Taemin quickly adapted to the group dynamics, with Kyungsoo feeling that the little three-man group they had been from the beginning was quickly expanding.

 “Oh, and loverboy is in his usual studio,” Baekhyun said just before he and Chanyeol left, winking at Kyungsoo, who's face heated up.

 “Bye!” Kyungsoo half growled, pulling Taemin with him and being followed by Baekhyun’s laugh.

 “Loverboy, huh?” Taemin asked when they were out of earshot. “Dancer or musician?”

 “Eh, dancer,” Kyungsoo mumbled, his face heating up even more.

 “Well, they say dancers are  _ really _ good with their bodies,” Taemin said suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows. “I would say it was a good choice, indeed. Will he be a classmate to me, then?”

 “Oh, no, not another Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo muttered as his cheeks seemed to be on fire. “No, he’s a year younger than us, and it’s not because of his body I’m together with him! Though it is nice… Ah, look, here we are! This is where you’ll spend most of your time, so get used to it!”

 They began to walk through the corridor, Kyungsoo pointing out the different studios to Taemin. As they got closer to Jongin’s regular studio, Kyungsoo found himself growing more and more restless, and cursed himself for it. He saw him yesterday, so why did it feel like he had not seen him in  _ weeks _ ?

 “I’m guessing this is loverboy?” Taemin asked, and Kyungsoo realized that he had come to a stop outside of Jongin’s studio, staring at the man dancing inside, back against them.

 “Ah, yes, yeah,” Kyungsoo chuckled, the blush back on his cheeks as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. “It is.”

 “Hm, who would have known…,” Taemin mumbled, looking at Jongin.

 Before Kyungsoo could ask what Taemin meant, though, Jongin turned and looked up. His face broke out into a smile as he saw Kyungsoo, but it quickly disappeared as he noticed Taemin.

 Opening the door, Kyungsoo stepped inside, feeling Taemin follow.

 “Hey, Jongin, this is my new roommate, Ta-,” Kyungsoo began, but he did not get to finish.

 “Taemin?” Jongin mumbled.

 “Hi, Jongin,” Taemin said, smiling softly.

 It all clicked, and Kyungsoo groaned, rubbing a temple.

 “Oh, for the love of… Really?” he muttered, making Taemin shoot him a confused look. “This is getting really annoying…”

 “What are you doing here?” Jongin asked, voice weak in a way Kyungsoo disliked. Kind of hated. “You’re the new roommate?”

 Taemin nodded, his hands in his pockets, and Kyungsoo could not ignore the nagging feeling of Taemin seemingly not being so surprised over seeing Jongin there. Not even close to how surprised Jongdae had been upon finding out about Jongin. What was going on?

 “Yeah, I just transferred here. Long time no see?”

 Jongin gave an unbelieving laugh, before taking three long strides to pull Taemin into a hug. Kyungsoo felt something that he identified as jealousy, but he tried to push it down as he stood quietly on the sidelines, watching his boyfriend hold someone that was clearly dear to him.

 “It’s been years!” Jongin said as he released Taemin, holding him at an arm’s length and inspecting him. “You look basically the same, except for the hair. Looks good on you, though, makes you look less childish.”

 “And you’re one to talk, huh?” Taemin teased back, ruffling Jongin’s dark hair affectionately. “But I guess your other personality is enough to make you seem older!”

 “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jongin said, blushing as he pushed Taemin’s hand away. “But seriously, this is too funny… And I’m sorry, Soo, I guess it was another one of mine?”

 Kyungsoo gave Jongin a small smile, nodding. “When I opened the door, I thought he was you for a split second, actually.”

 Jongin looked at Taemin, who was looking quite confused, and grinned. “Oh, right, people kept telling us we look alike... You remember my cousin Jongdae, Taemin? Me and Kyungsoo met a little while back, and then we found out that Soo’s close friend Jongdae is my cousin. And now his new roomie is you, my childhood friend. It’s like he can’t escape me!”

 “I feel sorry for you, Kyungsoo,” Taemin said with a straight face, earning himself a punch to the shoulder. “No, but seriously, who would want to be stuck with this guy?”

 Kyungsoo smiled softly, feeling a bit better. “I don’t mind it much, actually.”

 Jongin was grinning with his cheeks ablaze, as Taemin nudged him with his shoulder.

 “Seems like you found a nice one,” Taemin said, looking between the two boyfriends. “Maybe vocalists are better than dancers?”

 “Hm?” Jongin asked, turning towards Taemin as his face changed and he gave a sigh. “Oh, wait, no, you didn’t…?”

 “Indeed he did,” Kyungsoo answered. “He told me that dancers are good with their bodies. He’s almost as bad as Baek!”

 “Hey, you told me that he has a good body, though!” Taemin argued, pointing towards Kyungsoo, making him choke on his spit.

 Jongin turned towards Kyungsoo, a mischievous little smile on his lips and a dark glint in his eyes, before he burst out laughing. Reaching out, he took a hold of Kyungsoo’s wrist and pulled him into a tight hug, burrowing his nose against the shorter’s neck.

 “You’re so adorable!” Jongin exclaimed, and the rush of breath against his skin made Kyungsoo give something between a chuckle and giggle.

 “You’re both adorable,” Taemin muttered at them, making Jongin chuckle against Kyungsoo’s skin, which in turn made Kyungsoo wriggle in Jongin’s embrace.

 

 They stayed and talked for a while more, before Kyungsoo and Taemin continued the tour, leaving Jongin to his practice again.

 “So, you didn’t seem too surprised to see Jongin,” Kyungsoo began when they were walking towards the next building, containing the library.

 Taemin looked over at Kyungsoo, thinking for a moment, before shrugging.

 “No, I wasn’t. To be honest, I heard that he went here, and transferred because of him. I don’t see the point in keeping it a secret from you, since you saw it anyway, but can you please not tell Jongin?” Taemin said, pulling Kyungsoo to a stop and looking deep into his eyes. “Later, tonight, I’ll tell you whatever you want, just… At least wait with telling him, okay?”

 Kyungsoo gave a slight nod, and Taemin smiled back, releasing him.

 “Thank you,” Taemin said, before they began to walk again.

 

 Later that day, when the dark lowered itself over the university, Kyungsoo found himself sitting in the couch with Taemin curled up on it next to him. After the tour, Taemin had gone back to their apartment to take care of his stuff, whilst Kyungsoo went to class, thinking about what Taemin had said.

 “So, I guess I have some explaining to do,” Taemin said as he stretched, turning towards Kyungsoo. “About Jongin and what I’m doing here. How much do you know about his family?”

 Kyungsoo shrugged, as he turned towards the other. “I know that they’re rich, and I know that his parents are quite strict. I know from Jongdae that they kept Jongin and his sisters away, since Jongin parents thought Jongdae’s parents were too lenient on their kids. And I’m guessing his parents are the reason for why he’s practicing so much, though it’s really taking its toll on him. Why?”

 Taemin nodded slowly, finger rubbing his lower lip.

 “You remember that Jongin called me his childhood friend? We became friends when we were really young, and stayed friends until I was sixteen, and he fifteen. His parents didn’t like that he was friends with me, but it wasn’t until then that they managed to break us up, so to say. He was my best friend, we had people who thought we were dating, and I’m guessing that was one of the reasons for why his parents didn’t like me. Not only being friends with someone beneath their social class, but possibly dating me, too? And me being a guy on top of it all? Unacceptable…,” Taemin said, and even though he was smiling, it was a bitter smile.

 Kyungsoo sat in silent, trying to take it in. Because Kyungsoo was the same as Taemin. And Kyungsoo and Jongin were in a confirmed romantic relationship. Did this mean that Jongin’s parents would never accept him?

 “I don’t know how they are now, but you might want to prepare yourself for that,” Taemin said, echoing Kyungsoo’s thoughts. “I’m sorry… I know that Jongin’s sisters found it all ridiculous, and broke off contact at least for a while, and I think that led to his parents keeping him on a shorter leash. And the thing about Jongin is that he is such a pure being, that he can barely stand the thought of disappointing his parents. Which is why he never tried to hold on to me, his supposed best friend.”

 Taemin’s pain cut through Kyungsoo, and he realized that soon, he might find himself in the same position as the other.

 “I’ve been keeping in contact with Jongdae, he’s been giving me updates when he heard anything about Jongin, and when he told me that Jongin’s studying here, I thought that maybe I should give it a shot, maybe I should try to get back our friendship? And now here I am, though I never thought I would be roommate with Jongin’s boyfriend… That was a surprise!”

 A thought had been eating Kyungsoo up inside, and know he found himself forced to ask.

 “Were you and Jongin…?”

 Taemin looked at him, understanding flooding his eyes, and he shook his head smiling.

 “We were never together, no. Sure, we tried kissing once, but quickly found out we’re better as friends than lovers,” Taemin replied, nudging Kyungsoo. “So don’t worry, you don’t have to be jealous of me!”

 Kyungsoo gave an awkward chuckle at the words, but still felt a whole lot better. He would have felt quite bad if Jongin’s former lover had showed up to start a relationship with him again, no matter if it was platonic or not.

 “How did Jongin seem the first time you met?” Taemin asked suddenly, and Kyungsoo thought back to that night.

 “Well, he was practicing late at night, later than myself, which was how I found him. He was dancing, but he was clearly exhausted, and did a pretty bad fall. That was why I entered the studio, to make sure he was okay. He seemed scared and apprehensive at first, a bit like he was scared of getting close, but he seemed to be wanting someone, a friend, I think. I forced him to have some food with me, and it didn’t take that much for me to get him to agree. I actually took him to a fast food place, even though he was very sceptical to it, but in the end, he loved it. And I guess we just hit it off, and kept talking, and within no time at all, we were friends, and then… Well, more than friends. And I guess here we are?”

 “I think he is scared of letting people come close, since they might end up leaving or being pushed away by his parents,” Taemin said in a low voice. “But it’s good that you managed to get him out of his shell, I’m thankful for that. Hopefully, we can keep him here, leading his own life and being happy. Or at least making the most decisions for himself. No one deserves to be alone, and least of all Jongin.”

 Kyungsoo nodded to Taemin’s words, agreeing with all of it. “Least of all Jongin. He’s too kind for that. He told me when we were visiting his dogs that he just wants to feel loved, when all the dogs were on me, but I think it was deeper than just not liking to be ignored by his dogs.”

 “I think so too… I just hope we’re strong enough for him,” Taemin said, worrying his lower lip as he looked down at his hands. “Hopefully this will be different, with our forces combined…”

 

 The next day, Kyungsoo found himself sitting in Jongin’s prefered dance studio during one of his breaks, watching Jongin and Taemin fool around, when the door was suddenly flung open.

 “Taeminnie!” Jongdae called out, standing in the doorway with arms outstretched, large grin on his face.

 “Jongdae-hyung!” Taemin exclaimed, meeting Jongdae for a hug.

 “You’ve also grown up a lot, holy shit! And your hair! You look like an idol!” Jongdae said as he held Taemin, looking him over.

 Baekhyun, who had been behind Jongdae, joined Kyungsoo, looking between Jongdae and Taemin.

 “Uh… What?” he said, confusion clear on his face, making Kyungsoo chuckle.

 “Apparently Taemin, my new roommate, is a childhood friend of Jongin’s,” Kyungsoo explained.

 Baekhyun looked down at Kyungsoo with a frown. “No… Really? I… This is seriously getting ridiculous! We need to screen every new addition to make sure they have nothing to do with either Jongin or Jongdae, because this is getting out of hands!”

 Kyungsoo laughed, agreeing with Baekhyun. It really was getting out of hands.

 A ringtone suddenly began, and letting go of Taemin, Jongdae pulled out his phone. Looking at it, Jongdae gave a grin, before answering.

 “Hey, Minnie, wait a minute, I’ll put you on speaker,” Jongdae said into the phone, before pulling it away from his ear and pushing the screen. “There we go! We have Jongin and Taemin here, plus Kyungsoo and Baekhyun!”

 “Why did you put- wait, what did you say? Jongin? Lemme Skype you instead, give me a moment!” came a voice, before the call was clicked.

 Not even a second later, the Skype call tone was heard, and Jongdae quickly answered as all of them gathered behind him. On the screen, a guy with roundish cheeks, cat-like eyes and wild purple hair showed up, looking a bit surprised.

 “Wow, that’s a whole lot of people…,” the man muttered, before squinting at the screen. “Jonginnie? Is that really you? Damn, you’re looking all grown up!”

 Giving an awkward chuckle, Jongin waved at the screen.

 “Hi, hyung, nice to see you, too,” Jongin said.

 “Still so polite, there’s a reason why you’re my favorite in the entire family,” the man said with a grin, Jongdae spluttering and Jongin laughing. “Is that you, Taeminnie? What did you do to your hair?”

 “Mine is a sort of neutral color at least, hyung,” Taemin said, smiling.

 The man looked up, seemingly remembering his own color, and grinned. “True that. And I don’t recognize the rest of you. Hi, I’m Minseok, Jongdae’s oldest brother!”

 Jongdae flung an arm around Baekhyun, pulling him forwards. “This is Byun Baekhyun, my roomie! I think I’ve told you about him?”

 Taemin moved a little bit, letting Jongin pull Kyungsoo closer, and the younger beamed towards the phone.

 “And this is Do Kyungsoo, my boyfriend,” Jongin said, sounding almost smug about it, making Kyungsoo blush.

 Minseok made an adorable face, eyes round and lips pouted.

 “I think I’ve heard of you, Baekhyun-ah, but I’m sorry, for now you’re not as interesting as the  _ new boyfriend _ !” Minseok exclaimed, eyes positively sparkling. “How long have you been seeing each other? Does your parents know? How serious is this? How did you meet? When can we meet in person?”

 “Calm down, Minnie!” Jongdae said, laughing. “You’re still in China, so you have to wait until you get back before you get to meet them.”

 “Oh, yeah, about that, I’ll probably go home for a quick visit at the end of the month,” Minseok said, dragging a hand through his hair and making it stand up even worse than before. “We need to have a sort of family date then, and you’re all invited. You too, Taeminnie, Kyungsoo-yah and Baekhyun-ah!”

 “Hyung, you can’t just plan a party like that and invite people out of the blue,” Jongin said, chuckling.

 Minseok dismissively waved his hand, snorting. “Sure I can! I want to meet all of you, and I’m coming home soon, so why not start planning? Have to make sure you’re all free, right? I’m sure Junmyeon wouldn’t mind helping me either!”

 On Minseok’s end, it sounded as if a door had opened, and two voices came through. One said something along the lines of “Yo, yo, baby!”, and the other “Hyung?”, making Minseok turn, a small smile on his lips.

 “So, speaking of relationships, how’s it going, Minnie?” Jongdae said, cat-like smirk in place.

 Minseok turned to look at his phone again, one eyebrow raised.

 “I have no idea what you’re talking about, shut up,” he whispered, before two blonde heads became visible behind him.

 Both Jongdae and Baekhyun began to cackle, and Jongin, Taemin and Kyungsoo smiled.

 The smaller of the newly arrivals attacked Minseok, throwing his arms around his neck.

 “Oh, what’s this?” he said, squinting at the phone, as the taller joined them, bending over to also squint at the phone. They looked almost like siblings.

 “Hi, Lu-ge!” Jongdae said, smirk exchanged for a charming smile. “Sehun, have you still not stopped growing?”

 “Ah, Jongdae! Long time no see!” the smaller man said, beaming at them, as the taller, Sehun, gave a small smile.

 “Luhan and Sehun, this is Jongdae, who you know, my cousin Jongin, his boyfriend Kyungsoo and his friend Taemin, and Jongdae’s roommate Baekhyun!” Minseok introduced them all.

 “Wow, too many Koreans, too many names,” Luhan muttered. “And sorry, but we’re here to kidnap Baozi, we’re going to play some soccer!”

 “Sorry, but ‘baozi’?” Jongin asked, looking at Minseok who suddenly looked very pained.

 “Yeah, Baozi, because his face looks so round and cute, just like a steamed bun!” Luhan cooed, pinching Minseok’s cheeks, laughing as Minseok frowned and fought off the hands.

 Jongin and Jongdae looked at each other, mischievous smiles mirroring each other.

 “Well, I hope you’ll have fun playing soccer then,  _ Baozi _ ,” Jongdae said, both him and Jongin bursting out into giggles.

 None of them missed the way Sehun, who had been completely silent so far, rolled his eyes.

 “You’re not the ball-kicking type of person, Sehun?” Jongdae asked, since he apparently had become the speaker for the entire group.

 Luhan flung another arm around Sehun, bringing him down to his level. “Oh, no, not at all, Sehun is a  _ dancer _ , too elegant for kicking balls in mud, but I drag him along anyway!”

 “Oh, that’s right, Nini and Sehunnie is the same age, and Nini is a dance major,” Minseok piped up. “I guess you guys have to come along for the family party as well, so you can meet!”

 Luhan released both Minseok and Sehun to excitedly clap his hands, eyes shining like stars.

 “Parties! I like parties! Does that mean we’re going to South Korea? Sehunnie, you can visit your family then!”

 After some more talk about the party and stuff, they said goodbye to each other, and hung up.

 “You weren’t kidding, he really is just playing soccer and living his life, huh?” Jongin said after the screen went black.

 “Basically,” Jongdae said with a shrug. “He got a sting of wanderlust after finishing school, but  _ something _ ended up keeping him in China.”

 “I’m guessing that ‘something’ is a blonde angel?” Baekhyun guessed, earning himself a wink.

 “Exactly,” Jongdae confirmed. “He’s been there for a year, but they’re still just friends, as far as I know…”

 “What about that Sehun guy?” Taemin asked, making Jongdae look up at him.

 “The thing is, I don’t know. Minnie doesn’t tell me anything about their relationships, so it could be that Luhan and Sehun is a thing, and that’s why Minnie doesn’t try anything. Makes me feel bad for my poor hyung, pinning after an already taken guy…,” Jongdae sighed. “But I guess we just have to corner them at the party and coerce the truth out of them!”

 “Good thing we’re so good at that!” Baekhyun said, giving Jongdae a high five.

 “This is exactly why people don’t believe me when I say I’m younger than them,” Kyungsoo mumbled, making both Jongin and Taemin laugh.


	10. Chapter IX

 Kyungsoo was more or less having the time of his life. His friends were nice most of the time, school was going well, and Jongin was better than anything he could have ever asked for. But, as with everything, you cannot have light without darkness.

 And Kyungsoo’s darkness came in the form of other people. Mostly other students at the university.

 When Kyungsoo came out as gay in his late teenage years, he knew that he would probably have a hard time. Living in South Korea, a country where old thoughts still ruled, he knew he would not be accepted by everyone. Probably not even by the majority. Thankfully, he had a very accepting and open family, and they helped him through a lot.

 Kyungsoo’s relationship with Jongin was not his first relationship, but it was the most serious he had been in so far, even though they had only known each other for about three weeks. Sometimes, Kyungsoo even felt scared by how fast things were going between them, but at the same time, everything felt so completely right that he neither could nor wanted to stop it.

 Not even when people began to stare and whisper behind their backs.

 It was obvious that it affected Jongin more than Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo already knew this would happen, his view of the world was kind of cynical, and he was almost surprised that it was not worse. Jongin, on the other hand, still had a pretty childish view of the world. He had grown up pretty sheltered, after all, and though he was smart and saw that not everything was according to the fairytales of his childhood, he had not seen it all like Kyungsoo had.

 So when the rumors began to circulate, Jongin had a hard time with ignoring them. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun, who suffered the same fate because of his obvious close relationship with Chanyeol, tried their best to help Jongin through it, but it was hard on the younger.

 And one day, it got so bad that Jongin almost attacked a guy who had been teasing their relationship, but Chanyeol had been with him, and managed to pull him away to the studio where Kyungsoo had been practicing, leaving the two boyfriends alone to talk.

 “Jongin, you can’t just punch people because they’re mean to you,” Kyungsoo tried to explain, sighing. The younger was stalking back and forth in the small room, pulling at his hair.

 “But he was saying really awful stuff about you, Soo, I couldn’t let him get away with it!” Jongin exclaimed as he came to a stop, throwing out his arms. “I can’t stand people hating you because of being in a relationship with me, when I know what a wonderful person you really are!”

 Kyungsoo walked towards Jongin, placing his hands on the younger’s shoulder and keeping him place, forcing him to lock gazes.

 “And I’m going to tell you again - I don’t  _ care _ what they say about me. The thing is, they’ll say it no matter if I’m in a relationship with you or not. I’m gay, I don’t have any interest in girls, this is not something I can _ escape _ or whatever, this will keep happening, probably throughout my life,” Kyungsoo said, voice tense as he tried to make Jongin understand. “But I don’t mind at all. I’d rather be happy in a relationship, having a few people talking behind my back, than unhappy in a relationship and not having anyone talking behind my back. I’m not going to let a few bullies and idiots control and destroy my life, and I need you to understand that. I know who I am, you know who I am, my friends and family know who I am, so who cares if a few people try to tell others who they think I am. If people can’t see through that, or want to get to know the real me instead of listening to rumors, then I’m better off without them anyway. Okay?”

 But Jongin did not answer, he barely looked away from Kyungsoo, worrying his lower lip and frowning. Sighing, Kyungsoo released Jongin and stepped back, motioning for the door.

 “Go out and calm down, and think through this with a clearer head. If you find that you can’t ignore what they’re saying, then maybe you’re better off without me, and with a girl instead. Otherwise, I’ll wait for you. Just… Let me know, I guess.”

 A part of Kyungsoo hoped that Jongin would stay. A quite big part of Kyungsoo hoped that Jongin would stay, say that he was sorry about it all, before pulling Kyungsoo into a tight hug and promising he would try to ignore it. But that part was quickly shot down and trampled upon as Jongin went past Kyungsoo and out the door, closing it a bit roughly behind him, leaving a hurt Kyungsoo behind.

 Because Kyungsoo thought that their relationship actually was stronger and more important than that.

 

 Taemin found Jongin sitting outside of his dorm, looking like he might either start punching something or cry, or maybe both.

 “I don’t think Kyungsoo’ll be back for quite some time,” Taemin said as he got closer.

 “I know,” Jongin muttered, kicking the dirt with a heel. “I’m not here to see him…”

 “You in need of some bestie-time?” Taemin asked, and at the slight nod from Jongin, he held out a hand towards the younger. “Just let me drop my bag off, and we’ll go somewhere.”

 They ended up by the beach, since it was close enough to walk to, but still far enough that they would probably not run into someone they knew. And since there was still a chill to the air, especially out by the water, not many visited the beach. They were practically alone.

 “So, what’s up?” Taemin asked once they had found a couple of somewhat dry cliffs to sit down on. “I’m guessing it has something to do with your relationship, since you came to me?”

 Sighing, Jongin let his head fall back, closing his eyes and just breathing in the salty air.

 “I’m not sure I’m in a relationship anymore,” he finally mumbled, making Taemin start next to him.

 “Oh, stupid, what did you do?”

 Feeling a bit annoyed, Jongin opened his eyes and turned to glare at Taemin.

 “Why do you think it’s my fault?” he asked.

 “It wasn’t you?” Taemin shot back, raising both eyebrows.

 “Well, yeah, maybe, but still! Why did you immediately assume it was me?” Jongin tried again.

 “Because I live with Kyungsoo,” Taemin said, shrugging as he looked out over the sea. “I’ve heard him talk about what a hard time you’ve had with the rumors about you, he’s even asked  _ me _ for advice on what to do. Honestly, he’s been pretty irresolute about what to do with you. You mean a lot to him, but I think he finds it hard to deal with how much everything around the two of you affects you.”

 Groaning, Jongin dragged both hands through his hair, messing it up completely.

 “It’s just that I don’t want others to see Kyungsoo like some kind of freak because of our relationship, because that’s unfair. We can’t help who we fall for, and I don’t want others to judge him for falling for me,” Jongin muttered, rubbing his eyes with one hand. “I personally don’t care if they curse me to an eternity burning in hell, but to say that about him… He doesn’t deserve it.”

 Taemin put an arm around Jongin’s shoulder, bringing the younger closer.

 “Don’t you think he feels the same? Don’t you think he thinks it’s unfair for others to judge you because you’re in love with him? Don’t you think he doesn’t care about what they say about him, but what they say about you? The thing is, Kyungsoo have probably known this would happen since the moment he realized he likes boys. He’s gotten used to the idea of it, and knows that the most important people, the ones who mean anything, don’t care about it either. You, on the other hand, has never done more than slight experimentation with boys before. You’ve never been exposed to the dirty side of love, and I get that it’s overwhelming and scary and all kinds of shit, but you need to get over it.”

 Jongin listened silently to what Taemin had to say, but the thing was, he already knew it. He already knew it all, he just had a hard time accepting it. He had a hard time accepting coming to terms with being hated because of who he loved. Because to Jongin, love was love, no matter if it was between a boy and a girl, a girl and a girl, or a boy and a boy. Love was pure, and hate born out of something so pure was ridiculous to him.

 Why should someone like Kyungsoo suffer because of others twisted truths?

 “The thing is, I think you need to take a step back and think this through properly. And if you find that you can’t deal with it, then I think it’s better for the both of you if you end it.”

 Taemin’s words echoed through Jongin, his heart coming to a sudden stop as a slicing pain tore through it, and it was as if he suddenly could not get enough air. It felt like when Kyungsoo had said the same thing, and the tears began to prick at the edges of Jongin’s eyes, blurring his vision.

 “How can I just ignore all the bad shit?” Jongin whispered, words barely heard above the gentle wind blowing around them.

 “You can’t, but you can keep remembering that words are just that - words. They have no real substance, unless you let them. And keep remembering that many harmful words come from a place of jealousy. People who bully others are often insecure in themselves, and maybe the people talking shit about you wish they had the courage to be themselves, too. Maybe they wish they could show the world who they really are, but they don’t dare, and take out their inner pain on you instead. Unfair and stupid, but just the way the world works,” Taemin said, bumping his head against Jongin’s. “And isn’t Kyungsoo more important than them? Do you really want to give him up because of some assholes?”

 In Taemin’s head, the question was about more than just the bullies. The question also included Jongin’s parents, if Jongin would give up Kyungsoo because of his parents. But he knew he would not get a real answer to that, and so kept it to himself. And wished that the answer was no, that Jongin would not give Kyungsoo up for anyone. But he did not have high hopes.

 “That’s a trick question, since it’s because of Kyungsoo that I can’t stand them talking about him. I don’t want to lose him…,” Jongin mumbled, chewing on his lower lip. “Not like this, not because of them.”

 Taemin smiled at the younger, shaking him lightly.

 “Then you know what you have to do.”

 

 Kyungsoo was sitting in the sofa, staring blindly in front of him.

 He had been the one to suggest that maybe they should end stuff, but he had not imagined it would hurt that much not even getting an answer from Jongin. Because in the end, a lack of answer was the same as a negative answer. And that made Kyungsoo’s heart ache.

 How could you get so attached to someone that quickly? Was it even healthy? Because Kyungsoo was certainly not feeling good right now.

 Hearing the key in the lock, Kyungsoo turned his head to see the door open, expecting Taemin to come inside. But confusion made him frown as he saw a head of dark hair instead.

 Jongin did not know what to expect when he entered the dorm, but it certainly was not Kyungsoo sitting on the sofa, owl-eyes larger than normal, more vulnerable than normal, and beautiful lips in a thin line. And when he tilted his head with a confused frown on his face, it sort of broke Jongin’s heart.

 How could he do this to him?

 Suddenly, Jongin was on his knees on the floor in front of Kyungsoo, none of them sure how he got there, but it did not matter, because he had his arms around Kyungsoo, holding him so gently.

 “I’m sorry,” Jongin whispered as one hand landed on his back, rubbing soft circles, and one hand on his hair, sifting through it.

 “It’s okay,” Kyungsoo mumbled back, because even though it was not, even though  _ he _ was not, Jongin was there now. Jongin was there, apologizing, not giving up on them. And even though Kyungsoo was not okay, he was  _ better _ .

 “Taemin managed to kick some sense back into me, I’m sorry it took me some time to return,” Jongin whispered, making Kyungsoo chuckle a little bit.

 “Remind me to thank him later,” Kyungsoo whispered back as he closed his eyes, leaning into Jongin and just inhaling him. Remembering him, memorizing him.

 The hand in Jongin’s hair came to a stop at the nape of his neck, fisting around the short strands, holding him there, making sure he stays.

 Soft lips trail butterfly kisses over a tense jaw, sliding against lips, moving slowly, seeking to comfort instead of burning in passion. Slowly, hesitantly, the kisses were returned. No words were needed anymore, everything was said with skin against skin. Apologies and forgiveness, promises and confessions. All spelled out through soft gasps.

 On his knees, Jongin asked for another chance, and Kyungsoo did not hesitate in giving him it.

 

 Kyungsoo woke up to feather-light fingers tracing the outlines of his lips. Not even the few seconds of sleep-fueled daze before he fully woke up could keep him from knowing who the owner of the fingers were.

 “Are you having fun?” Kyungsoo asked in a quiet voice, being answered by a low chuckle that traveled down his spine.

 “Maybe… Your lips are so inviting I just couldn’t help myself,” Jongin said, the pad of his thumb brushing over said lips.

 “Good thing I don’t mind, otherwise it would be called sexual harassment,” Kyungsoo mumbled, peeking open his eyes. “How long have I been asleep?”

 They had moved to Kyungsoo’s bed, wanting to hold each other more comfortably, and somewhere along the line, he had apparently fallen asleep.

 “Honestly, I don’t know,” Jongin said, looking a bit sheepish. “I kinda fell asleep also…”

 Kyungsoo closed his eyes again and snuggled closer to Jongin’s chest, soaking in the other’s warmth and scent. To be perfectly honest, he never wanted to move again.

 “What time is it?” he asked, almost regretting it as Jongin released him to find his phone. But the arm was soon back around Kyungsoo, holding him tight.

 “Ten,” Jongin whispered against Kyungsoo’s hair. “I think we slept for quite some time…”

 In that moment, Kyungsoo did a split-second decision. Because Jongin rarely slept at Kyungsoo’s, citing his parents being worried as a reason, but right now, Kyungsoo did not want to let the younger go. So he did a leap of faith, hoping he would not crash to the ground.

 “It’s way too late to go home now, stay the night,” Kyungsoo whispered, lips against collarbones. Jongin’s arms tightened around him, and for a moment, Kyungsoo’s heart sank.

 “Oh, I completely agree. I can’t help that I fell asleep here, and slept here the entire night,” Jongin whispered back, and Kyungsoo could hear the grin in his voice.

 All of a sudden, the younger began wriggling around, still holding on to Kyungsoo, but forcing him more onto his back so Jongin could lie down with his head on the older’s shoulder. Soft lips began to wander over Kyungsoo’s neck, and he shivered.

 “What are you doing, I thought you were going to sleep?” Kyungsoo asked, slightly annoyed by the tone of breathlessness that had crept into his voice.

 “Oh, no, that’s what my parents will think. I’ll tell them that I fell asleep and slept here. But I’m not feeling particularly sleepy right now, and should really get rid of some energy to be able to fall asleep…,” Jongin mumbled against Kyungsoo’s neck, breath ghosting over skin, as the younger pushed the other down completely, before climbing on top. “If you don’t mind…?”

 Both the words and actions had started a fire in Kyungsoo’s veins, making his breathing turn shallow.

 “How can I say no when you’re so polite?” Kyungsoo answered, earning himself a chuckle that went straight to his guts.

 Jongin got up on his elbows to look down at Kyungsoo, crooked grin on his lips.

 “I’d prefer if you’d be unable to say no because you can’t resist me, but I guess I’m okay with-,” he begun, but then Kyungsoo had wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him down into a seething kiss.

 “Sometimes you talk too much,” Kyungsoo more or less growled against Jongin’s lips as he let him up for air.

 “Right, sorry,” Jongin quickly mumbled, before diving back in.

 Electricity coursed through Kyungsoo’s body at the touch of Jongin’s lips, joining and complementing the fire in his veins, urging his passion on even more. Soon, the older was unable to breath, but he did not mind. Jongin was his oxygen now, and Kyungsoo did his best to breathe him in deeply.

 Fingers traveled over clothed torsos, searching for skin, leaving burning trails behind. Hipbones were found, and Kyungsoo quickly began tugging at Jongin’s shirt.

 “Oh, oops, there it goes,” he mumbled as he got the shirt over Jongin’s shoulder and head, the younger sitting back to get it down his arms.

 Delicious tanned skin filled his field of vision, and Kyungsoo’s mouth began to water. Pale fingertips ran down a hard stomach, contrasting beautifully against the darker tone, muscles rippling in their wake.

 Somehow, Jongin sitting on his knees on the bed, nestled between Kyungsoo’s legs, shirtless and breathing heavily, was one of the most beautiful things Kyungsoo had ever seen.

 Kyungsoo’s fingers brushed over the light dusting of hair leading down beneath the waistline of Jongin’s jeans, making the younger gasp and suck his stomach in. Quickly snatching the hand away, Jongin pressed it against his lips, nibbling at the skin of the palm and making Kyungsoo gasp right back.

 “You still have on too much clothing to go there, jagi,” Jongin whispered, lips upturned into a soft smirk that made Kyungsoo’s stomach, and other things, dip.

 “Help me, then?” Kyungsoo answered, and the smirk turned hungered.

 Normally, Kyungsoo felt a bit uncomfortable with taking his clothes off. He had no real definition to his muscles, even though you could glimpse them, and so he was a bit shy.

 But as Jongin gripped the hem of his shirt, Kyungsoo wished the man would stop taking his sweet time and just get over with it, so they could continue with other, more fun, things.

 In the end, Jongin managed to get the shirt off, and he sat back, just drinking Kyungsoo in, eyes dark from lust. Anticipation made Kyungsoo tense up as the younger licked his lips and leaned down.

 Starting at the chin, Jongin began to nibble his way down Kyungsoo’s throat, until he got to the collarbones. There he stopped, and the sudden sharp pain let Kyungsoo know that he would probably have a bruise on top of his left collarbone the next day.

 Flesh marked by love.

 The lips continued on their way up the side of the throat, stopping every now and then to suck another mark into the skin, until they reached an ear, tongue darting out to flick over the lobe. Kyungsoo clenched both hands around the strong shoulders above him, biting his lower lip to keep quiet.

 “I really have no idea what I’m doing,” Jongin breathed, hot breath sending shudders down Kyungsoo’s spine, and in any other situation, he would have laughed.

 But Kyungsoo was feeling quite flustered, and  _ very _ teased, so he just gave a breathy chuckle.

 “You’re doing fine,” Kyungsoo assured the younger, letting his hand slide into unruly dark hair, turning Jongin’s head to give him a deep kiss. “Stop worrying so much, just let go.”

 Jongin pulled back slightly, licking his lips, eyes impossibly darker with blown pupils. He looked magnificent, and the inferno in Kyungsoo’s veins threatened to engulf him completely.

 “Just let go?” Jongin rasped, desire lowering his voice, and Kyungsoo could only nod as he did not trust his voice suddenly. “Let me know if I do anything wrong.”

 Before Kyungsoo could roll his eyes, Jongin dove down, catching the older’s lips and taking advantage of the gasp he lured out by sliding his tongue inside. Softly, almost hesitantly, a hand began travelling down a side, until they came upon a hipbone. Firmly massaging the area, Jongin smirked into the kiss as Kyungsoo’s uneven breath hitched.

 The fingers were playing just a little too close to home, and hooking a leg around a strong thigh, Kyungsoo pulled Jongin down, chests flush. Groins crashing together created friction, and both gave open-mouthed moans.

 “Shit,” Jongin hissed, hips snapping forwards unconsciously before he got control over his own body, and Kyungsoo cursed jeans all the way to hell and back.

 Slowly, excruciatingly so, Jongin began to roll his hips, rubbing their clothed erections together, drawing pant after gasp out of Kyungsoo. As the sensations began to build, Kyungsoo pressed his head backwards, eyelids fluttering closed, Jongin’s lips and tongue dancing over his exposed throat. A growl sounding surprisingly much like “Fuck this!” was heard, and next thing he knew, Kyungsoo felt the weight of Jongin on top of him disappear, cold air rushing to fill the place and making his hair stand up.

 Through lust-veiled eyes, Kyungsoo witnessed Jongin sitting back up again, biting his lower lip firmly as he reached for Kyungsoo’s jeans and undoing them. Lifting his hips, Kyungsoo soon found himself pantless, and he reached out for Jongin. Placing a hand on either side of Kyungsoo’s head, the younger held himself up to let the older have his way with him.

 Exploring fingers followed the previously forbidden trail of hair, dipping down beneath the waistband to entice gasps and moans, teasing and not yet pleasing. Retreating his fingers, Kyungsoo smiled at the small whine Jongin let out, getting to work on undoing the younger’s jeans instead. Apparently deeming it enough, Jongin slipped out of Kyungsoo’s hold to stand up and undress himself, before getting between the older’s legs again.

 Kyungsoo held gazes with Jongin as he let his hand travel down the firm stomach, palm against the scorching skin. Reaching the underwear, Kyungsoo turned his hand around, letting two fingertips snake their way down, watching as Jongin’s lids grew heavy, jaw tensing. As the fingertips brushed against the hard length, Jongin jolted, hoarse mewl leaving his lips, and the sound echoed down into Kyungsoo’s own guts, firing him on even more.

 Enough playing around.

 Letting his entire hand slip into the trunks, Kyungsoo cupped the velvety hardness, drawing a throaty moan from Jongin as his arms began to shake, obviously having a hard time keeping himself upright. Starting to lightly tug, Kyungsoo took great pleasure in drawing moans and gasps from the younger’s lips, even though he himself strained painfully in his own underwear.

 “ _ Ah _ , Soo, I-ah!” Jongin tried to form coherent sentences, but he was seemingly too far gone.

 Releasing Jongin, Kyungsoo somehow - without much help from the younger - managed to get the both of them completely undressed, and for a moment, all he could do was stare. The slight tan continued all the way down, making Jongin glow, and it was obvious it was Jongin’s natural color.

 Kyungsoo loved it, and he promised himself he would lick every inch of skin to see if it tasted as good as it looked. But not right now. He was too far gone now, entire body heavy with lust and frustration that he needed to get out as soon as possible.

 Jongin apparently felt the same impatience, as he returned to Kyungsoo, laying down skin to glorious skin. Both of them were burning up, melting together, as lips and groins met and moved against each other. It felt so good, so amazing, but still not enough.

 “Wait,” Kyungsoo breathed against Jongin’s lips, managing to snake a hand between their impossibly close bodies to wrap it around them both, loving the shiver it draws from the younger and that is mirrored down his own body.

 Lifting himself up and caging Kyungsoo’s head with his arms, Jongin begins to move. At first it is a bit hesitantly, rhythm faltering a bit every now and then, but as the sensations begins to build, the younger finds his tempo. Kyungsoo pulls his legs up, giving Jongin more space to move, and he understands why everyone has been saying that dancers are such a good choice.

 The way Jongin moves his hips so elegantly and fluidly is a thousand times better than anything Kyungsoo have ever experienced, and the older is sort of glad they went for frot, since he is pretty sure he would have already exploded otherwise.

 The thrusting turns more rapid and furious, as the pleasure starts to build. Kyungsoo’s eyes roll back, and he does not care that his moans are getting even louder, he does not care that his bed is creaking under their weight and movements, all he cares about is Jongin on top of him, Jongin with his forehead against his own, Jongin matching the moans, Jongin quickly driving the both of them insane.

 And when Kyungsoo’s body tense up, before convulsing, pleasure shooting through him, it is Jongin’s name that slips from his lips. The younger’s hips snap forwards once, hard, before he also comes, burying his head against Kyungsoo’s neck and breathing the older’s name.

 

 When Kyungsoo came awake the next morning, it was with Jongin’s naked limbs tangled in his own. Blinking towards the window, he saw that it was barely dawn, and he could sleep for a few hours still.

 Snuggling closer to the warmth radiating off of the other man, Kyungsoo closed his eyes and breathed him in. The motion seemed to wake Jongin, as the younger began to stir, strong arms tensing around Kyungsoo.

 “For a moment, I thought I dreamed everything, but considering we’re both butt naked and in your bed, I guess not,” Jongin mumbled, and Kyungsoo chuckled.

 “You were being so romantic, and then it died,” Kyungsoo said, looking up and managing to flick the younger’s nose lightly. “You need more practice, even though the cheesiness is quite adorable.”

 Jongin scrunched his face up, somehow looking even cuter.

 “I’m new to all of this, I told you that!” he whined, before a smirk took its place on his lips. “But I was pretty good, wasn’t I?”

 Kyungsoo spent a moment debating if he should tease the younger or not, but decided on being nice. Reaching out, he patted Jongin’s shoulder.

 “You did great. Amazing. I can definitely recommend a dancer in bed,” Kyungsoo said in a serious tone, making Jongin give a frowning smile.

 “It is a compliment, but it doesn’t sound like one…,” he mumbled, before pushing Kyungsoo down onto his back and draping himself over the older. “And I’m the best, no other dancer compares to me!”

 “But I’m not willing to lend you out, so I have to tell people to get a dancer of their own,” Kyungsoo said, running his fingers through Jongin’s hair.

 Jongin began to chuckle, the sound reverberating through his body and into Kyungsoo’s.

 “And you call me cheesy,” the younger teased, getting up on his elbows to look down at the older, gentleness visible in his eyes. “But it was kind of cute, jagi, I have to admit.”

 “You’re so distracting, acting both cute and titillating at the same time,” Kyungsoo muttered, his blood starting to heat up again.

 Looking quite lost, Jongin cocked his head to the side, eyes widening.

 “What? Why?” he asked, full lips forming a small ‘o’.

 “I think it’s just your aura, you have an inherent sexy aura, and you’re also like a puppy, so you’re sending mixed signals,” Kyungsoo explained, before pointing downwards. “Also, males suffer from something known as nocturnal penile tumescence, more commonly called morning wood, and you’re not an exception.”

 Jongin looked down, even though he was unable to see anything as their bodies were flush against each other.

 “Oh. I hadn’t even noticed,” the younger said, biting his lower lip as his eyes darted up to Kyungsoo’s. “So, what was it that you said - dancers are pretty good, or what?”

 Kyungsoo wrapped his arms around Jongin’s neck, shrugging. “I don’t even remember anymore, but we can find out again?”

 The ravening grin on Jongin’s lips before he claimed the older’s lips made Kyungsoo’s stomach swoop, and he did not think he had ever become so needy in so little time before in his life.

 

 When the two finally emerged from Kyungsoo’s bedroom, they found Taemin sitting by the table in the kitchen, sipping his tea and with a knowing smile on his lips. Kyungsoo tried to ignore him, whilst Jongin was standing blushing in the doorway, not knowing what to do.

 “I’ve heard that making up is the best part of fighting…,” Taemin mumbled after a few awkward minutes, and Jongin seemingly choked on air. Kyungsoo could not keep a single chuckle from escaping his lips, and he kept his back against the two other as he tried to force it down.

 Jongin truly was pretty innocent, even though it did not seem like it at first glance. Or second.

 Taemin kept teasing Jongin throughout the breakfast, until the point where Kyungsoo had to put a stop to it because of the pouty look Jongin gave him.

 The two dancers left together, having a class or something to get to, and Kyungsoo made sure to kiss Jongin thoroughly before letting him go. It was actually quite comical seeing Taemin having to grab a hold of the younger’s arm to keep him from walking into a wall, and Kyungsoo’s smile was present for a long time afterwards.

 

 Kyungsoo spent the most of his day in the studio, practicing his song. Jongin had said that he would be busy with something, and Kyungsoo knew he needed to get the song right soon, since the D-Day was fastly approaching. But as he sang it, he felt as if it might have been the wrong choice of song. It fit his voice and style well, but not his feelings. Anyway, it was too late to change, and he tried to do his best with what he got.

 When he got back to the dorm, Taemin was still up, books spread over the table and his laptop open in front of him.

 “I have some things to catch up on,” Taemin answered Kyungsoo’s curious gaze, leaning back and stretching his back.

 “Oh. If you need help, let me know,” Kyungsoo said as he got to work with making some ramen.

 Normally, Kyungsoo enjoyed cooking, but not right now. Right now, he just wanted to get something into his stomach, and go to bed.

 “Thank you, Soo,” Taemin said, smiling up at him. “Oh, right, I almost forgot! Jongin asked me to give this to you - he wanted to do it on his own, but his parents called and were apparently pretty upset about him sleeping at our place last night, so he didn’t have the chance to do so.”

 Frowning, feeling a bit of worry over Jongin’s situation, Kyungsoo turned around and accepted the small, black thing that Taemin held out towards him. It was an USB memory stick, and Kyungsoo turned it over, trying to understand what it contained.

 “There’s a movie on it, Jongin made it for you,” Taemin said. “Now, I could be tasteless and tell you that it’s porn, but I don’t think you would believe me. Just, take a look at it later. I think you will like it.”

 Kyungsoo thanked Taemin, and when his noodles were done, he brought them and the USB to his room, pulling out his own laptop. He would be lying if he said that anticipation was not pooling in his stomach as he plugged the USB in, and the File Manager opened, revealing a video.

 Making himself comfortable on the bed, Kyungsoo let his finger hover over his laptop for a second, before double clicking and starting the video.

 Instantly, he recognized the room as one of the dance studios at the university, and the back of Jongin, standing motionless in the middle of the room. Then the music started, and Kyungsoo let out a chuckle as he realized which song it was.

 As Jaejoong began to sing, Jongin turned around and began to dance. It was not exactly as Kyungsoo remembered it, the choreography, but more as if Jongin had changed it a bit to suit his own style more. The obvious sensual tones were still there, and somehow, they seemed even more obvious as Jongin moved around, body-rolling, hip-thrusting and smirking at the camera.

 It was as if the younger fully utilized his sexual vibe when dancing, slipping into another persona and openly flirting with whoever what watching. A part of Kyungsoo wanted to show the video to everyone and brag, and a part of him wanted to keep it secret, not letting anyone see this part of his boyfriend.

 “ _ Neon nareul wonhae neon naege ppajyeo... Neon naege michyeo he-eonal su eobseo... I got you, under my skin… _ ”

 Kyungsoo sang the words under his breath as Jongin danced to them, expressing them perfectly. Because the words echoed true; Kyungsoo truly was caught, he could not escape, nor did he want to. He was under Jongin’s skin, crazy about the younger.

 “And Taemin said it wasn’t porn,” Kyungsoo chuckled, watching as a grinning Jongin dragged a hand through his hair, before turning serious and getting back into the moves.

 The tank top with low-cut sides did not help the case at all, either, showing off more than glimpses of skin, but just enough to make Kyungsoo want to see more. Even though he had seen more just the same morning.

 All too soon, the dance routine was over, with Jongin getting back to the middle of the room, chest heaving, and the teasing smirk in place. But as the music came to a stop and Jongin broke stance, the smile softened and he rushed towards the camera, both hands held up. He was making finger hearts, and Kyungsoo felt his heart skip a beat at the cute gesture.

 “Just for you, jagi!” Jongin said, before blowing a kiss and grinning silly at the camera, and then the video came to a stop.

 With his lips stretched into a full smile, Kyungsoo almost felt the prickles of tears in his eyes at the adorable present. No one had ever done anything like that for him, and truth be told, he absolutely loved it.

 Reaching over, he picked up his phone and unlocked it, writing a heartfelt thank you to Jongin, before watching the video again and eating his cooling ramen. Indeed, everything cooled in comparison to the blue supergiant star that was Jongin, and Kyungsoo hoped that he would never tell a living soul anything as cheesy as that.

 

 When Kyungsoo woke up the next morning, there were no notifications on his phone. Which meant no text back from Jongin. It was not that strange, since the younger could have gone to bed before Kyungsoo and not have woken up yet, but it still left Kyungsoo with a bad feeling in his stomach. He tried to ignore it, though, as he got up and got ready.

 “What did you think about the video?” Taemin asked as he joined Kyungsoo in the kitchen.

 “That I would have believed you if you told me it was porn,” Kyungsoo answered, and Taemin began to laugh.

 “Too bad I didn’t tell you and warn you yesterday, then,” Taemin said, sitting down across from Kyungsoo. “Thought I would puke from the adorableness when he made those finger hearts and called you ‘jagi’, though…”

 “Really? I thought I would faint from how irregularly my heart beat,” Kyungsoo mumbled.

 “You know, for seeming so cold and distant, you really are quite the romantic person, aren’t you, Soo?” Taemin asked, a pleased smile on his lips. “I think you’re a pretty perfect match for Jongin, actually.”

 “Tell me something I don’t know,” Kyungsoo joked, but his cheeks still heated up.

 Just then, there was a rapid knocking on the door, and Kyungsoo recognized it as Baekhyun or Jongdae coming to disturb him. Sighing, he got up from his chair, increasing his pace as the knocking turned more urgent.

 “What is so important that you have to disturb me on this fine morning?” Kyungsoo said, but his thoughts blanked out completely when he noticed the grim look on Jongdae’s face. “What? What’s wrong? Did Baek go missing again?”

 “No, I did not,” Baekhyun said with a sigh, but it was not an exasperated sigh. It was a sigh you gave when you came bearing bad news and was not in the mood for teasing. “Let us in.”

 Kyungsoo frowned at his friend’s tone, but did as ordered.

 “Okay, tell me what’s going on?” Kyungsoo demanded when he closed the door, turning towards his two friends. By now, Taemin had joined them, standing leaned against the doorway to the kitchen with his arms crossed over his chest, obviously curious to what was going on.

 “Soo… When was the last time you spoke to Jongin?” Jongdae began softly, and Kyungsoo did not like the pitiful smile on his face.

 “Last morning, why? Taemin talked to him later than that,” Kyungsoo answered, pointing towards the other man.

 Jongdae’s eyes barely glanced over at the other, as he pulled out his phone and unlocked it, scrolling down to something before holding it out for Kyungsoo to read.

 “Because Jongin is apparently getting engaged to get married to Jung Soojung,” Jongdae said as Kyungsoo looked at the article on his phone, barely believing the words spelled out in front of him. “AKA Krystal Jung, one of South Korea’s most popular supermodels.”


	11. Chapter X

 Jongin was laying in the sofa, staring out through the large windows across from him. The sky was a dark grey, large raindrops hitting the glass, and Jongin felt as if the weather was mirroring his mood.

 Just the day before, he had woken up to sunshine and a heart-shaped smile, and now he was here all alone, feeling strangely cold. All because of his parents and their stupid ancient ideals and values.

 They had not been happy when he had failed to come home the other night, not that Jongin had expected anything else. It was funny how they managed to forget about him at all other times, but when he broke the time they found fitting to be home to (in other words, his curfew), they suddenly remembered him.

 And maybe it had been stupid to tell them about Kyungsoo during their fight last night, but it had seemed as if it did not matter anyway, considering his  _ engagement _ was already more or less confirmed by then.

 Jongin closed his eyes, thinking back to the previous day and the ever-present disappointment in his parents eyes that never ceased, no matter how well he did anything. To be honest, he was getting pretty tired of it, but at the same time, what could he do? He owed his life to his parents, quite literally, and that was not something he could ever get away from.

 Groaning, Jongin placed an arm over his eyes, hearing his mother’s icy words in his mind as she mocked his relationship, very clearly letting him know that a middle class boy was not acceptable for someone in their family, ignoring his tries to reason with her.

 Approaching footsteps brought Jongin back to reality. It was his father, but Jongin did not bother removing his arm and looking up at the man. It did not matter anyway, and he was still too upset.

 “It’s done, son. The engagement has been announced, and your fiancé’s company will hold a press conference later today. You are not required to participate, thankful, so stay at home and think this through a bit more. I can see that you have still not warmed up to this.”

 “Yeah, because forcing me to leave the first person I’ve ever loved to get married to a girl I’ve never met is something you ‘warm up to’ in just a moment,” Jongin mumbled, not caring that he used sarcasm against his father.

 “Love? That boy? Don’t be silly, it was nothing more than your hormones and rebellious mind playing you a prank, all kids go through it,” his father snorted, suit rustling as he most probably crossed his arms over his chest. “Get over it, and get your feet back on the ground. How are you supposed to continue the legacy by marrying a boy? Adopting? Stupid. You have known since you were fifteen that we would find you a suitable woman, and now we have. Just a shame you did not stay pure for a little while longer…”

 Jongin bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to force the blush away. He was not ashamed over having done what he did with Kyungsoo, and he would not let his father misinterpret his embarrassment.

 “We will deal with your transfer so that you won’t have to see that boy again, and hopefully you’ll get over this little fling in no time, and start preparing for your life as husband,” his father said, and it was as if a thousand icy needles embedded themselves into Jongin’s heart.

 Sitting up in the sofa so fast that his head began to spin, Jongin pinned his father with a harsh stare, heart rate rapidly increasing.

 “What do you mean ‘transfer’? From the university? You can’t do that, I’m still practicing for the school festival! I have made friends, I have started to get to know the teachers and my subjects, you can’t just transfer me now!” Jongin said, anger making his voice waver. “You can’t force me to leave now!”

 Jongin’s father stared back, his gaze more intimidating than his son’s.

 “We can, and we will. We will not have you going back to that boy, or have him whisper sweet nothings in your ear and turn you from us. The same thing happened to your sisters, and we will not let it happen to you.”

 “My sisters left because they couldn’t stand how much pressure you put on them, how unfairly you treated them, it had nothing to do with anyone on the outside! That was your own fault!” Jongin said, voice raising, before turning pleading. “Please, father, let me just stay for the rest of this semester. Let me attend the festival and show them my dance, I’ve put too much work into it to let it go to waste! Let me show you how serious I am!”

 His father was quiet for a moment, but Jongin did not let himself break down and look away from him. He  _ needed _ to win this argument, he just had to!

 “I will talk to your mother about it. Maybe you can attend the festival, but we do not want you to get swayed until then. We will see.”

 And with that, Jongin’s father turned and left, leaving his son sitting with a hand over his heart, cursing his fate and life, wishing for something that seemed to grow even more distant with every second passing.

 

 A few hours later, Jongin was still laying in the sofa, studying the rain.

 He had managed to fall asleep for a few minutes here and there, letting his mind rest some from the constant thoughts and the pain.

 He wondered what Kyungsoo thought and felt right now. He had not spoken to the older since the afternoon the day before, and he wondered if he knew.

 He probably did. Even though Jongin was unable to check the internet, his engagement was probably all over the entertainment news by now. A rich boy from an esteemed family getting married to a supermodel was something that would bring much attention, though Jongin did not see himself as that person.

 Jongin also wondered if Kyungsoo had tried to reach out to him. His phone had been confiscated as soon as he had gotten home, along with his laptop, and he was without the means of contacting anyone. Jongin wondered how that would feel - making love to someone and then have them ignore you - but quickly pushed that thought away as it made his heart ache too much. He had already cried a bit, and he did not want to cry any more. It was exhausting to cry.

 He hoped that Kyungsoo was not crying. He hoped that Kyungsoo understood that he had no choice in the matter, no voice or vote, and he hoped that Kyungsoo did not hate him. Because Jongin would not be able to handle that. All he wanted was to hold the older close, but there was no chance that would happen anytime soon, not unless his parents had a sudden change of heart…

 His father came by once to let him know that his mother had given him permission to perform in the festival, but not permission to let him get back to class. They would work something out with the principle, he said, and Jongin just nodded, feeling empty inside.

 Unable to stand the rain anymore, Jongin slowly got up from the sofa and headed to his room, fetching his old pointe shoes that he really should get replaced, before heading towards the practice room specifically built for him. To others, it might seem as a kind gesture, but not to Jongin. Because Jongin knew that the only reason for why he was allowed to pursue dancing was because he had promised to dedicate most of his time to ballet, and because his parents had not seen any other talent in him. Another disappointing thing about him.

 With his phone taken away, Jongin had no music to dance to, but he knew the choreography by heart now. He could hear the music in his head, and so, he quickly changed into his shoes and got to work.

 He was going to show his parents the extent of his abilities. He would show everyone that ever doubted him just how much he could do. And he would apologize to everyone he had hurt through the years, even if it was his last chance. After this performance was over, Jongin would no longer be a free man. He would be even more chained to his parents and his duties, and this would be his last time to show the world who he really was.

 Ignoring the growls from his stomach, Jongin forced the hunger away. He needed to practice, and he needed to do it now. He needed to get this right, it was imperative.

 Because even if it so killed him, Jongin would perfect this performance. This would be his legacy, and it would be something he would be proud of. This would be his greatest accomplishment in his life, and everything that would ever matter to him. His last show, the finale, before leaving everything behind.

 Kyungsoo’s face flashed past his eyes, and Jongin faltered in his step. If he had been there, the older would surely reprimand him for not eating properly, even though he was training so hard, but Jongin had no choice.

 Smiling softly at the memories of his first love, Jongin silently promised Kyungsoo that he would show him how much he loved him, before this was all over. So that Kyungsoo would never doubt his feelings, even after how wrong everything had turned out.

 And so, with those two goals in his mind, Jongin got back to his practice.

 

 Kyungsoo was chewing on his lower lip as he stared at his phone, willing it to vibrate and announce the arrival of a text.

 “He still hasn’t answered?” came Taemin’s low voice from behind him, and even though it startled him, Kyungsoo did not move more than to shake his head once.

 “I have a bad feelings… As if he’s trying to do something stupid…,” Kyungsoo muttered, glancing up as Taemin sat down across from him. “Like getting himself killed by practicing too much.”

 Taemin shrugged, glancing towards the rain-splattered window. “Then he would be free of his parents, at least…”

 “Taemin! Don’t talk like that,” Kyungsoo growled, not liking the way his heart stopped for a moment at the vision of a pale Jongin in a casket.

 “I’m sorry, Soo, I just… This isn’t the first time this has happened to me, you know, and I just wish I could do anything to help,” Taemin said, sighing and dragging a hand through his bleached hair. “I really hoped he would do like his sisters if something happened this time, but apparently not…”

 “ _ Why _ is he so hell bent on pleasing his parents?” Kyungsoo asked, voicing a thought he had had for quite some time now. “Why are they more important than him, than me, than us?”

 “Because his parents gave birth to him, raised him, let him leave in their house and fed him,” Taemin answered. “He feels obligated to them, and that’s one of the things that really ticks me off. Normally, you feel thankful to your parents for taking care of you, but you still see it as a given, right? Jongin don’t see it that way, he thinks it’s amazing that they even took care of him, which is ridiculous. And so, he feels indebted of sorts to them, and here we are.”

 “His view of the world is so innocent, but still so twisted…,” Kyungsoo mumbled, to no one in particular, but Taemin nodded nevertheless. “Has he withdrawn from the festival yet?”

 Taemin shook his head, and there was a spark of hope in his eyes. “Apparently, it seems like his parents asked for him to keep his spot, even though they said he would not be returning to class. Maybe he somehow forced them to let him attend, and he’s planning something…”

 “Most probably not,” Kyungsoo said, placing his chin on his arms on the table. “I feel like it’s his way of going out with a big bang, and it makes me uncomfortable. He was already pushing his body to its limit when we met, and I don’t want to know what he’s doing now after this…”

 Taemin reached out, gently dragging his fingers through Kyungsoo’s hair.

 “Hopefully he’ll not worry us too much the next time we see him, hopefully he’ll remember to take care of himself, and if not for himself, then for you. He is strong, even though it does not seem like it, and a person can only take so much before he breaks. I think he will snap at his parents soon, and then we’ll get him back in no time at all.”

 Kyungsoo closed his eyes and hummed, feeling no real conviction in Taemin’s words. The bad feeling was still so strong, as if trying to tell Kyungsoo to do something. The thing was, Kyungsoo did not know what to do, what he could do, and so here he was, waiting by his phone for a text or call he knew probably would never come.

 Hoping for his heart to calm down and stop hurting so much.

 

 The hurt and anger inside of Kyungsoo kept growing alongside the pain, and he tried to keep his thoughts busy with the preparations for the festival. It was now just a meager week away, but funnily enough, Kyungsoo was not worried about his song anymore.

 Because now, he felt as if he understood it, and could express the feelings well. He did not need to perfect it anymore, because it was already perfected by his feelings. Like he had told Jongin, you needed the passion and fire to make a performance truly exceptional, and Kyungsoo had found those things now.

 In a fucked up way, Jongin leaving him had made Kyungsoo able to perfect his song, and it gnawed at him, until he felt nauseous. Therefore, Kyungsoo made a point of trying to not think of Jongin and the song at the same time.

 He tried to not think of Jongin, period. Even though he knew that the younger probably had nothing to do with the events now taking place, Kyungsoo could not help but despising him. Did Kyungsoo really not mean more to him, so that he would fight for him, for them? Jongin had just accepted the fact that he needed to ignore most part of society for their relationship, for fucks sake, and now he could not take the fight to his parents?

 In a way, Kyungsoo felt dirty. Having taken Jongin’s virginity just before the younger disappeared from his life, Kyungsoo felt used. And he hated that feeling.

 If people thought that Kyungsoo had been scary before, they outright feared him now. All of those horrible feelings piled up inside of him, until he walked around perpetually frowning, a cold and dead look in his eyes. He did not even find the care in him to try to pretend in front of people.

 And Kyungsoo knew he would get over this. Give it a little time, and his feelings would cool and fade, until he would no longer remember the exact tone of Jongin’s voice, or the exact shade of his skin. He would find someone new to obsess over, and forget the way Jongin’s fingers on his skin felt. Kyungsoo knew this, because time healed all wounds, even those left by tall boys with puppy eyes and sexy smirks.

 But in the middle of the night, whilst laying in his bed that seemed to never lose the scent of a lost boy, Kyungsoo had a feeling that he would never actually forget. That he would just pretend to get on with his life, but with a heart unable to move on. Because Jongin had somehow managed to etch himself into Kyungsoo’s soul, even though they had spent so little time together.

 Kyungsoo did not believe in love at first sight, but he was starting to question this conviction now. And that almost hurt the most, since that would mean that he had lost the love of his life before he was able to fully love him.

 

 The day before the festival, Jongin spent too many hours locked up in his practice room. He had managed to get a hold of an old mp3-player to have music to practice to, and it was currently pumping way too loud around him. But he did not care, and his parents were not home to care either.

 They never were, unless it had something to do with their image.

 Whilst in the middle of one of the more complicated pirouette series, Jongin felt his mind slip down into the darkness, and he woke up to the intense pain in his shoulder. It was the same part, and the same shoulder, as the first time he had met Kyungsoo, he realized through his cloudy mind.

 Rolling over onto his back, Jongin stayed on the floor, trying to force his dazed mind to make his body stand up again, but his attempts were futile. He knew that he was pushing his luck lately, with how little he ate and slept. Just enough to keep him going, but sometimes even less than that.

 Placing a trembling hand over his heart, Jongin could feel just how irregular the beat was. He knew it was not a good sign, but he told himself that there was just one day left, one day, before he would be free one way or the other. Either from his mind or his body.

 Closing his eyes, Jongin did something he barely let himself do anymore. He thought of Kyungsoo, and all of their memories together. The way the older smiled, lips turning into a heart. They way his large eyes made him look younger than what he was, but his personality making him seem older. The way his fingers had felt as they had travelled across his stomach, or wrapped around them both.

 How Kyungsoo had accepted and forgiven him so quickly after his mistake, even though Jongin had seen how much he had hurt the older with his actions.

 Gasping, a tear managed to get past closed eyelids, and Jongin let his conscious be taken by the sleep his body craved so much. For the last time, he would dream about Kyungsoo and all they could have had, without feeling guilt over it. Then he would lock his feelings away, guarding them in a restricted part of his heart, and do what his parents wished him to do.

 Just one last time with Jongin and Kyungsoo together, laughing without a single care in the world.

 

 Kyungsoo went to bed early the night before the festival. He did not have a single worry about his performance the next day, even though he had not practiced as much as he normally did for something like this.

 He knew all the words and where they were to be sung, and that was all he needed. The rest was also there, in his heart, waiting to be released one last time, hoping to be heard.

 Hoping to make a difference.

 Turning onto his side, Kyungsoo buried his nose in the pillow that Jongin had slept on the last time, bringing forth the memories of the younger sleeping peacefully next to him. Because that was what he hoped Jongin was doing - sleeping peacefully so that he would be well enough to perform the next day.

 Kyungsoo had never seen the entire choreo in one go, but he looked forward to it. Even though he knew it would hurt.


	12. Chapter XI

 The day had finally come, but Kyungsoo was not feeling nervous in the least. He was feeling a bit numb, but he had done that for a couple of days now, so it was nothing new to him.

 He and Taemin had Jongdae, Baekhyun and Chanyeol over for breakfast, and they brought a mighty feast with them. It was all carefully chosen to make sure that it would not harm any of the vocalists’ voices, but it was still a feast. Everyone was tense, and Kyungsoo knew that it was not only just because of their own performances, but he ignored that part. They truly had nothing to worry about, he was not breaking down. Yes, he was sad and upset, and a bit pissed, but he was not the type of person to drown in his own tears.

 At least not whilst he still had hope.

 After breakfast, they had a few hours of practice, before the first performance. Since there were so many students performing, the festival was held over a couple of days, Kyungsoo having his performance near the end of the first day, and Jongin closing the first day with his performance. Baekhyun and Jongdae had a combined performance late on the second day, and Taemin, who had just recently switched universities, was not participating at all, neither was Chanyeol.

 Taemin refused to leave Kyungsoo’s side, and even though he found it annoying, Kyungsoo was also a bit glad about it. He had quickly learned that being alone with his thoughts for too long was a bit unhealthy, and he would rather not space out today.

 “Do you think he’s okay?” came Taemin’s voice suddenly, quiet and a bit hesitant.

 Looking over at the taller, Kyungsoo frowned. Up until now, Taemin had been the one to assure Kyungsoo of things, even when Kyungsoo did not agree, and now he was looking for assurance himself?

 It took some time for Kyungsoo to answer, and when he did, he was unable to look Taemin in the eyes.

 “I… don’t know. Honestly. Considering how bad he was when we first met… If this is something that was forced upon him, if this is something he doesn’t want himself, I’m actually a bit scared to know just how he will act out. He’s obviously not acting out towards his parents, and so the only way he can act out is on himself…”

 Kyungsoo could see Taemin’s hands clench and unclench by his sides, and he recognized that frustration in himself.

 “If he looks like shit, I guess we’ll just have to organize a rescue mission,” Taemin muttered, and Kyungsoo looked up in surprise, meeting the other’s eyes.

 And they both burst out into chuckles, some tension leaving them.

 “I guess we’ll have to do that…,” Kyungsoo mumbled as his laughter died down, though his smile stayed for a while.

 

 Behind the stage was a mess.

 People were running back and forth, there were people warming up, there were people having anxiety attacks, and Kyungsoo felt a bit like he could not breathe.

 Not because of his own nerves, no, they were still thankfully absent, but because of how cramped it was, and because of the multitude of feelings in the small space.

 “Don’t worry, it’ll be alright, you know it will get easier as soon as you get up on the stage!” Jongdae shouted over the noise around them, as both he and Baekhyun were rubbing Kyungsoo’s back.

 “I’m not nervous, I’m panicking over the amount of people trying to steal my air in here!” Kyungsoo hissed, making Chanyeol laugh. One glare and two stares made him shut up quite quickly, though.

 “I’ll go help Taemin hold the seats,” Chanyeol mumbled, before disappearing.

 “I know this is a stupid question, but are you ready for this?” Baekhyun asked, walking in front of Kyungsoo and crossing his arms over his chest.

 “I don’t know,” Kyungsoo answered truthfully.

 Both Baekhyun’s and Jongdae’s eyes widened at his words, and Kyungsoo cowered a little bit. Every time Kyungsoo went up on the stage, he would say that he was ready for it, even though it was not always true. A bit like persuading yourself that you are more fine than you truly are, to get rid of the nerves.

 “I’m not nervous of my performance, I know that I can do it well, I’m nervous of other things,” Kyungsoo quickly muttered, refusing to think of those other things right now.

 “Just imagine him naked if you see him,” Jongdae said, shrugging as he also stopped rubbing Kyungsoo’s back. “That’s what people used to tell me when I was nervous.”

 Kyungsoo just stared at Jongdae, as Baekhyun sighed.

 “I think only a selected few would enjoy seeing Soo get a boner on stage, stupid,” Baekhyun said, shaking his head.

 Jongdae grimaced. “Oh, ew! Not like that! Like ‘hey, there’s a naked dude in here, being nude amongst all of these people are worse than singing’! Wow, get your mind out of the gutter, nasty boy!”

 Kyungsoo actually began to chuckle at his friends’ fighting, though it sounded half-hysterical. Well, at least he fitted right in with the crowd around him…

 “Do, you’re up soon!” someone called out, and Kyungsoo choked on air or saliva or his nerves or something.

 Baekhyun cradled Kyungsoo’s face in his hands, forcing them to lock gazes.

 “You are going to go up on that stage, and you are going to do an amazing job. And even if Jongin is there, it will not matter, because this is for him as well, and you will blow him away, and you will not fail. This is your song, your performance, and it will be awesome!” Baekhyun said, his voice low but powerful, and it almost brought tears to Kyungsoo’s eyes.

 Almost.

 “Aw, man, how am I supposed to top that?” Jongdae whined, a small smile on his lips, as Baekhyun released Kyungsoo.

 “You’re not supposed to top it, he was my best friend first!” Baekhyun exclaimed, putting his nose in the air with a huff.

 “Doesn’t matter if you’re first or not,” Jongdae muttered, before turning to Kyungsoo again and smiling. “All he said. You will slay, we all know it. You can’t disappoint, as in it is physically impossible. Doesn’t work. Just go out there and do your thing, and it will be great. We’ll see you afterwards!”

 Kyungsoo mumbled his thanks, smiling weakly, before he turned and began to make his way towards the stage. A microphone was put into his hands, and then he was put on standby as the announcer announced him.

 The lights went off, and Kyungsoo took his place on the stage. Taking a deep breath, Kyungsoo closed his eyes, and everything melted away. He felt the spotlights come on again, warming his skin, and he revelled in it.

 Lifting the microphone to his lips, Kyungsoo opened them, and began to sing. The soft piano music began to accompany him, floating around him and merging with his words.

 As the drums gently joined, Kyungsoo slowly opened his eyes, gazing out over the crowd. He did not see much, most of it blending together, and he did not try to make it separate.

 Not yet.

 Kyungsoo continued through the first verse, and when he reached the chorus, he let his mind scan through the crowd. The first people he saw was his friends, sitting on the first row right in front of him. Taemin truly did score great seats. Kyungsoo quickly moved past them, as he knew they were supposed to be there.

 Looking through the crowd of gathered people, both students and family and friends of students, Kyungsoo did not let his heart or mind feel or think too much over the fact that he did not see the face so dear to him.

 Another verse, and then the chorus again. No Jongin in sight.

 But at the end of the second chorus, before the bridge, Kyungsoo saw something.

 Someone standing at the side, near one of the exits. Standing in a very familiar way, cap tugged low to hide most of his face. But Kyungsoo had memorized that face, and Kyungsoo could still feel those lips against his own.

 Reaching the bridge, Kyungsoo refused to look away from Jongin. And he knew that Jongin saw that he was looking, even though Jongin refused to look up. But as long as Jongin was listening, it was fine. Because it was the bridge of the song that spoke the most, and Kyungsoo sang each and every word for Jongin.

 “Wae amureon daedabi eomnayo? Wae amureon mal eobsi sumgyeowannayo?”

  _Why are there no answers? Why did you hide it without a word?_

As Kyungsoo released the last note and took a breath, Jongin looked up, and for a short moment their gazes connected. Kyungsoo could read so much in those shining eyes in that short span of time, because Jongin was not good at hiding. He wore his heart on his sleeve, even when he tried to not show anything.

 But then Jongin looked away, broke the connection, and Kyungsoo was thrown back into reality, confused. Because he could not make sense of what he had seen in Jongin's eyes. Something was not right, and trepidation slowly seeped into his veins.

 Lifting his microphone once more, Kyungsoo waited for his cue, eyes glued to the figure now leaving the auditorium. Kyungsoo began to sing his last lines, his voice once more low and gentle, and it made Jongin stop in his track, one hand about to pull the door open.

 And as Kyungsoo sang that he would get up every day and continue with his life, Jongin finally got the door open and stepped outside. It was almost as if he was walking out of Kyungsoo's life again, visually this time, after having heard Kyungsoo's promise to keep living.

 The song came to an end, and the spotlights died down, leaving Kyungsoo in the darkness once more. But that meant that no one saw the single tear running down his cheek.

 The only tear he had allowed himself to cry so far. The only tear he would allow himself to cry until this was finally over, and he was either holding Jongin, or nothing.

 Turning and drying the tear away, Kyungsoo left the stage, handing the microphone to one of the people running around behind stage, and dazedly making his way over to the front row. He had finished his performance, he had sang his heart out to a missing boy, and now there was nothing more he could do than wait.

 When he reached the others, Kyungsoo was pulled into hugs, and he gave smiles, but he was still a bit shaken by actually seeing Jongin. He had been there, listening, and it had not been a dream.

 "Are you okay?" Baekhyun asked as he pulled Kyungsoo down into the seat next to him, another student getting up on the stage.

 "I saw him," Kyungsoo mumbled, eyes on the stage, but not seeing a thing of what was going on. All he saw was soft smiles and sparkling eyes.

 "What, you did? He was here?" Baekhyun exclaimed, earning a hush from some people behind them. He shot them an annoyed glare back.

 "Yeah, he listened. Stayed until the end before leaving," Kyungsoo quickly whispered, leaning closer to Baekhyun to force the other to keep his voice low.

 "Well, I be damned... Didn't think he would show up, honestly," Baekhyun whispered back, worrying his lower lip. "Two more performances, then it's his turn."

 Kyungsoo nodded, and once more tried to turn his attention to the stage, but it was not working. His mind was buzzing, and his nerves were more frayed waiting for Jongin than they had been when waiting for his own turn. Kyungsoo did not even notice how he was bouncing his leg until Baekhyun placed a hand on his thigh to keep him still. Jongdae reached over from Kyungsoo's other side and took one of his hands, Baekhyun claiming the other, and Kyungsoo felt a bit more at peace.

 Time flew past, and then it was suddenly time for Jongin's performance. Kyungsoo instinctively tightened his hold, probably to the point of hurting, but neither Baekhyun nor Jongdae complained.

 "This is the last performance of the night, let me introduce you to Kim Jongin!" the announcer called out, and Kyungsoo's heart restricted at the name.

 The auditorium turned dark, someone came out on stage, and then a single spotlight focused on the lone figure standing with his back towards the audience. But Kyungsoo did a double-take, because even though that body looked like Jongin's, the hair was wrong. It was wild, like Jongin's, but it was not dark. It was white, bleached, contrasting beautifully with the tanned skin at the back of Jongin's neck, peeking above the edge of his shirt.

 He was dressed in a white shirt, sleeves rolled up to show his forearms, and a pair of tight black pants stopping halfway down his calves, looking as if they were molded to his legs. And on his feet were his worn pointe shoes, the same shoes he had been wearing the first time they had met.

 But this had Kyungsoo worried. Did pointe shoes not wear out quite quickly?

 The music began, and Kyungsoo immediately recognized it. Of course. He had dreams featuring the music, it was positively haunting him nowadays.

 Jongin's hand floated out to move to the piano notes as the woman began to sing, and it looked so elegant. Then he turned around, and Kyungsoo was sure that his heart stopped beating for a moment.

 Somewhere to his right, Kyungsoo thought he heard Taemin say something about "Kai is looking good in bleached hair", but he did not understand what that meant, and ignored it.

 With the halo of blonde hair around his face, Jongin was looking ethereal. His eyes were downcast, but there was a slight smirk to his lips as he fluidly moved his body to the music. Back and forth across the stage he went, ballet moves perfectly matching the rhythm, and Kyungsoo was entranced.

 Jongin moved closer to where Kyungsoo was sitting, and the trance was broken as Kyungsoo gazed up into broken and pained eyes, and he saw the signs of exhaustion and starvation on his former lover's face and body. Bones were jutting in terrible way, skin was paler than normal and lacking in glow, and muscles were not as firm as Kyungsoo remembered.

 All of Kyungsoo's worries dropped back into his stomach at the same time, and he felt as if he might puke right then and there. Jongin had pushed himself up to and past a limit, just as Kyungsoo had feared. He had rebelled against his parents in the only way he knew - by harming himself.

 As Jongin came to a stop, his breathing was too strained, and he was too unsteady on his feet, and Kyungsoo knew that this might end badly. Because what was soon coming up was the intricate pirouette that Jongin had failed that first time Kyungsoo saw him, and Kyungsoo hoped he would not see Jongin fall that badly again.

 The music that had slowed down picked up again, and Kyungsoo held his breath as Jongin began the first few spins, that were not as fast nor dangerous as what was coming.

 

 Jongin knew that this was it. He was about to perform the only move that he had not gotten close to perfecting, and now there was no turning back. There were hundreds of eyes on him, hundred of eyes that would see him either make or break, but only one pair of eyes mattered.

 And Jongin imagined these eyes in his mind as he closed his own and took the leap of faith, hoping his body would not fail him now.

 

 When Jongin slipped out of the pirouettes safely and continued the choreography, Kyungsoo shakily released the breath, thanking every star he could for not letting Jongin fall.

 He had actually done it, Jongin had perfectly executed the hardest part of his dance, and Kyungsoo felt relief pull the corners of his lips up. And when he saw the smirk grow once more on Jongin's lips, he knew they were both basking in that feeling together.

 And as the music neared its end, Kyungsoo felt like laughing, because even though Jongin had left him, even though his heart was bruised, it did not matter. Jongin had pulled off the choreography, and that was all that mattered right now.

 Jongin did a slow turn at the end, head leaned back as his smirk was replaced by a grin, and something about this rubbed Kyungsoo the wrong way. It seemed off, so wrong, and Kyungsoo had almost gotten up from his seat when the music died and Jongin dropped to the floor.

 All around them, people started to applaud, amazed by the young talent they had just witnessed, but Kyungsoo was not applauding. Kyungsoo had seen the drop, the fall, how Jongin's body had given out and his back and head hit the floor in a nauseating way. The spotlight had turned off, leaving the stage in darkness, but Kyungsoo could still see the unmoving heap, and he swore that his heart had disappeared.

 As people began to slowly realize that maybe this was not part of the choreo, that maybe something was wrong, Kyungsoo had already slipped his hands free and rushed to the stage, quickly climbing up and heading towards Jongin.

 Somehow remembering to not move the boy, Kyungsoo fell to his knees next to him, fingers fluttering over clammy skin as he called his name, wishing and praying for Jongin to open his eyes.

 "Call an ambulance!" someone yelled close to Kyungsoo, people quickly gathering around them, but he ignored it.

 "Jongin, open your eyes!" Kyungsoo hissed, desperation forcing him into a state of anger, something that was easier to handle than sadness.

 Eyelids fluttered, and Kyungsoo almost collapsed as a pair of dark eyes looked up at him, semi-conscious. Lips formed a word even as a throat was unable to say it, but Kyungsoo caught it. He caught it all, and shook his head.

 "Sorry," Jongin had said.

 But Kyungsoo did not want to hear it. He did not need an apology. He just needed Jongin alive and well, not broken on a floor.

 "Don't you dare, Kim Jongin. Don't you dare. Stay awake. Please, just stay. I won't let you go like this, I refuse!"

 Kyungsoo was rambling, but Jongin was smiling, and so he kept rambling. He kept rambling as the ambulance finally arrived, and when he stopped rambling, watching the paramedics take care of the boy on the floor, Kyungsoo's throat was raw and sore, every breath he took hurting. Someone pulled him back, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, but Kyungsoo did not know who, shock setting in as a neck brace was put around Jongin's neck, reality crashing down and making Kyungsoo realize that Jongin might be at risk of a broken spine.

 Which might mean not being able to walk or dance ever again.

 "He's so stupid, so, so stupid," Kyungsoo muttered, over and over again, watching Jongin being wheeled away to be taken to the hospital.

 "Come on, let's go," someone - Baekhyun? - mumbled in Kyungsoo's ear, leading him away.


	13. Chapter XII

 The waiting room smelled horrible.

 “Junmyeon called Jongin’s sisters, and they’re on their way,” Jongdae said as he came back into the room where Kyungsoo were sitting between Baekhyun and Chanyeol. “They’ve called their parents, as well, but I don’t know when they’ll show up…”

 “Hopefully never…,” Taemin, who followed Jongdae with a pair of bottles of water, muttered. “Here, drink.”

 Kyungsoo accepted the water and gulped most of it down in one go, soothing his still aching throat.

 “It’s their son, of course they should come and see how he is,” Jongdae argued, crossing his arms over his chest.

 “And berate him for making a scene, complicating things for them?” Taemin shot back, mirroring Jongdae’s stance. “Somehow I think that won’t be too good for his recovery. And don’t try to bullshit me, you grew up with them, you know what they’re like…”

 Jongdae muttered something, before taking one of the bottles from Taemin, and sitting down next to Baekhyun. Taemin sighed and sat down in front of Kyungsoo, leaning his head on Kyungsoo’s thighs.

 Kyungsoo absently combed his fingers through Taemin’s hair as they waited, eyes trained on the boring light-blue wall in front of him. He did not see the wall, though - he replayed Jongin’s fall over and over again, saw him hit his head over and over again, and tried to determine how bad it might be. But all he could think of was Jongin in a wheelchair, Jongin never walking again, Jongin never dancing again, Jongin never smiling again. Take away the dancing, the one thing he had managed to keep throughout his life, and it would be like taking away his soul.

 When the doctor finally arrived, Kyungsoo was sitting on needles, trying his hardest not to twist Taemin’s hair out as he wanted to curl both hands into fists.

 “I’m guessing you are Mr. Kim’s friends?” the doctor said, glancing between them and the clipboard in his hands.

 “Yes, and I’m his cousin,” Jongdae said, sitting up a bit more straight.

 “I see, I see,” the doctor mumbled, pushing his glasses up. “Well, it doesn’t seem like Mr. Kim has suffered any injuries to his spine, though he did land quite badly when he fell. He has a concussion, but no more serious injuries to his head. What worries me the most, though, is his obviously terrible physical state. He’s severely dehydrated and malnourished, and he seems to be severely lacking in sleep as well. He also have a multitude of bruises, some older, some newer, and his left shoulder is both bruised and swollen. And his feet… His ballet shoes are probably too old and unfit for dancing in, which he should be aware of. Based on all of this, I’m suspecting that Mr. Kim is suffering from depression and harming himself, maybe as a punishment. Do any of you know anything about this?”

 Kyungsoo sighed in agitation, rubbing both his hands over his face, as Taemin lifted his head from his thighs.

 “He has a very complicated relationship with his parents, and just went through a pretty bad breakup that might have triggered him, so yes, I think you might be right about the depression,” Taemin answered, sounding calmer than he had seemed in a long time.

 The doctor nodded for a long time, before sighing and dragging a hand through his hair.

 “He’s unconscious at the moment, but we’ll let you know when he wakes up. We need to contact his family, as well, so if you have the contact information, please relay it to one of the nurses.”

 “We’ve already let the family know, his sisters are on the way, and they’ve contacted their parents,” Jongdae said, and the doctor gave a nod.

 “Good. We’ll let you know when he wakes up.”

 And with that, the doctor left, silence spreading like a blanket over them.

 Taemin looked up at Kyungsoo after a while, with the smallest of smiles on his lips.

 “He’s fine. He’s basically fine,” Taemin mumbled, and Kyungsoo let out a deep breath, leaning forwards and putting his head on his arms on his lap. “His spine in fine, he only got a concussion…”

 Kyungsoo felt like crying and laughing, and the emotional rollercoaster was starting to wear him out as tears gathered in his eyes, but he refused to let them drop just yet. It was not over yet.

 Hands came down on top of Kyungsoo’s back, rubbing it, and he smiled against his skin, feeling so thankful for his friends being there with him, for him, and for Jongin as well.

 “Dae?” a female voice said, and Kyungsoo slowly sat up, blinking at the two women standing in front of them. They were beautiful, and looked so alike Jongin it was ridiculous.

 “Is he okay?” the younger-looking woman asked, long hair hanging freely over her shoulders. She was looking worried, her hand clamping around her sister’s almost white from the pressure, whilst her older-looking sister had her free hand covering her mouth and her eyes sparkled from unshed tears.

 “Ah, yeah, the doctor was just here,” Jongdae said, standing up to greet his cousins. “He’s fine, he has a concussion, but nothing more serious than that. Don’t cry, noona!”

 The older sister pulled Jongdae into a hug, trembling and sobbing against his shoulder, as the younger sister let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing.

 “Thank god,” the younger sister mumbled, and seemed to finally notice the rest of them. “I recognize you, but not the rest of you…”

 Jongdae pulled back a little, smiling softly at his oldest cousin, before turning towards his friends.

 “That’s Taemin, Jongin’s old best friend, you know? That’s Baekhyun, my roommate, Chanyeol, Baekhyun’s boyfriend or whatever, I’m not sure yet, and Kyungsoo. Taemin’s roommate, and Jongin’s… Ex-boyfriend, I guess.”

 Both of the women’s eyes widened at the mention of Kyungsoo’s name, and he sank further down into his chair, heart clenching at the ‘ex’.

 “So you’re the one he brought over to meet the dogs?” the eldest sister asked, opening her mouth for the first time. “You really are cute. Jongin gushed over you when he was over…”

 Kyungsoo felt his cheeks heat up, and he looked down at his hands in his lap.

 “He’s stupid for letting you go.”

 “Well, we haven’t given up hope yet,” Baekhyun said in an overly cheery voice as he put an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders, pulling him closer. “We’re still trying to get him back, and Soo is too stubborn for his own good, so I think we’ll succeed!”

 Kyungsoo glanced up at Baekhyun’s square smile, and then at Jongin’s sisters. Both were smiling softly.

 “That’s good. We’ll lend our help if needed, as well,” the younger sister said, the older nodding.

 “Excuse me,” a nurse said, joining them in the room. “Mr. Kim has woken up, and he’s asking for a Do Kyungsoo?”

 

 Kyungsoo was standing outside of the room he had been led to, worrying his lower lip. He was not sure if he actually wanted to see Jongin right now or not, but Baekhyun had forced him to go inside. Unfortunately for Baekhyun, Kyungsoo still had the chance to bail, if he wanted to.

 Yes, Jongin had asked for him, but Kyungsoo was still mad, and scared. What if this was another goodbye? Kyungsoo was not sure he would be able to handle it, no matter how many times he told the rest of the world that he would fight until Jongin actually made the decision on his own.

 “Ah, fuck it!” Kyungsoo quietly exclaimed the third time the nurse passed him by, smiling softly and knowingly at him.

 Why not just get it over with?

 Slowly, Kyungsoo pushed the door open and peeked inside. Jongin was lying in the bed, hooked up to different beeping machines, and he looked so pale against the stark white sheets.

 Except for his shoulder, which was a deep blue and green color, looking almost black, and it made Kyungsoo feel nauseous.

 “Soo…?” a raspy voice said, and looking up, Kyungsoo realized that Jongin had opened his eyes and were looking at him.

 Taking a deep breath, Kyungsoo stepped inside, closing the door behind him, and walking over to the side of the hospital bed.

 “Hey,” Kyungsoo mumbled, unsure of what to say, and it sounded so lame he almost winced at himself.

 Jongin coughed and gave a small grin, seemingly finding Kyungsoo just as lame as Kyungsoo himself did. But he would probably call him ‘adorable’ or something cheesy like that.

 “Are you angry at me?” Jongin rasped, Kyungsoo’s own throat aching at how dry Jongin’s sounded.

 “No, of course not, why would I be?” Kyungsoo deadpanned. “We had sex, and then you left me without a word, and I had to find out about your  _ engagement _ through the internet. Of course I’m angry, Jongin. What do you think?”

 Jongin winced, eyes full of regret and pain.

 “It wasn’t like that,” Jongin mumbled. “I didn’t want to-”

 “I know, it was your parents. Even though I am angry with you, I also know that you’re too kind to do something like that, and I hope that extends to me as well. That’s why I haven’t killed you yet.”

 “Yet,” Jongin said, grin slowly coming back. “So it’s still a possibility?”

 Kyungsoo shrugged, playing with a loose thread on the cover. “Depends on what will happen now. You’re doing a pretty good job yourself, though, so I might not have to.”

 “I’m not trying to kill myself,” Jongin said in a low voice, and Kyungsoo wondered if the doctor had already asked Jongin about it. “Yes, I practiced too hard, but I’m not trying to kill myself.”

 “How much weight have you lost during this week? You can probably count all the meals you’ve had on one hand, right? How many hours of sleep have you gotten?” Kyungsoo asked, voice hard from anger and worry. He turned to point at the beeping machine that was showing Jongin’s heart rate. “I’m pretty sure that is not a normal and healthy heart rate, either. You might not actively try to kill yourself, but that doesn’t matter. You’re still doing it. You have a concussion because you dropped onto your  _ head _ ! What if the fall had been worse, and you had broken your neck?”

 “Please just shut up, hyung!” Jongin exclaimed, and Kyungsoo took a step back, eyes widening. “I know, I fucking know! I know it was stupid, but I didn’t know what else to do! I can’t stand it anymore, I can’t take it! Throughout my life, I have been a disappointment, and no matter what I do, I can’t change it! So why not just give the fuck up and embrace death? Huh? At least I wouldn’t be a burden to my parents anymore!”

 Tears were streaming down his face, and his voice was so hoarse Kyungsoo could barely hear the words, but to Kyungsoo, Jongin had never looked as beautiful or true before. Letting go of everything completely, Jongin showed it all, everything, no longer denying anything to himself or others anymore.

 “Or come back to the people who doesn’t see you as a disappointment,” Kyungsoo slowly said as he got closer to the bed, placing a hand against Jongin’s cheek and wiping the tears away. “Come back to the people who love you unconditionally. There’s six of them in the waiting room right now. And I’m here.”

 “I don’t deserve you,” Jongin whispered, and Kyungsoo nodded.

 “Probably not. But I don’t deserve you either, and I’m still trying to get you back, so. Come back?”

 Jongin smiled as he dried the rest of the tears away, and hope was mixing with pain in his eyes.

 “You know I’m still engaged, right?” he said, and Kyungsoo sighed.

 “Oh, yeah, right… I was left for a super model, I guess I can’t compete with that…,” Kyungsoo said, pouting slightly, and Jongin’s eyes grew large.

 “Wh-what? Of course you can! I find you more beautiful than her!” Jongin exclaimed, trying to sit up in the bed, but Kyungsoo pushed him back down.

 “So cheesy I can’t deal with you… Lie down! You need to rest!”

 There was a knock on the door, and Kyungsoo looked up to find a strikingly beautiful woman enter, and both his heart and soul dropped. It was not hard to recognize Jongin’s  _ fiancé _ .

 And definitely not hard to find yourself lacking, no matter how cheesy Jongin was.

 “Excuse me,” Krystal said, the corners of her lips just barely upturned into something similar to a smile. “I heard you had been rushed to the hospital, Jongin-ssi. I hope it’s not too serious?”

 “Ah, no, nothing too serious,” Jongin said, spirits dampened, and Kyungsoo almost snorted.

 Should the future wife not know the truth?

 Krystal’s smile grew a tiny bit. “That’s good, I’m glad. Then you should be well enough to answer my questions, right? You must be Do Kyungsoo.”

 Kyungsoo gulped as the model’s eyes turned to him, and he nodded. Her gaze was so cold that it sent a shiver down his spine, but he tried to suppress it.

 “How do you know his name?” Jongin asked, suspicion heavy in his voice, and Krystal turned to him again.

 “Because of all of the rumors floating around online,” Krystal said, her voice flat. “Apparently, you were already in a relationship when we started talking about us marrying. You know, there’s even pictures of the two of you holding hands and hugging and stuff. Not really something that will reflect well on me if we marry. I can already hear the questions I would get about my husband and if he still longs for other men instead of me…”

 If Kyungsoo had been less of a man, he would have smacked her already. Fortunately, he had been raised to never use violence as an answer (unless it was to lightly slap some sense into Baekhyun), and especially not towards a woman, and so, he instead gripped the bed tightly, clenching his jaw.

 “You can’t really deny the rumors, considering the amount of evidence, so there’s no real fixing to this, and I would rather not get dragged to the bottom with you, so I’m going to break the engagement off. My agency will take care of it all. I hope you’ll have a  _ happy _ life with your little  _ boyfriend _ , Jongin-ssi. My best of luck to you both.”

 And with that, Krystal turned and walked out of the room, leaving the two boys gobsmacked and gaping after her.

 “I-I guess we, uh, don’t have to worry about that engagement anymore,” Kyungsoo said when he finally found his voice again.

 “I guess not…?” Jongin said, placing a hand over his heart. “All of this drama is killing me.”

 “No, that’s all you,” Kyungsoo answered, grinning when Jongin sputtered. “Get some rest, and I’ll go tell your sisters that they can come in.”

 As Kyungsoo was about to leave, Jongin reached out and caught his arm, keeping him in place.

 “I’m so, so sorry, jagi,” Jongin whispered, and Kyungsoo saw the sincerity in those sparkling eyes.

 “I know, I forgive you,” Kyungsoo whispered back, sliding his arm out of Jongin’s hold and instead taking his hand in his. “It’s okay.”

 And then he left, before the tears started falling.

 

 As soon as Kyungsoo walked into the waiting room, he wished he could just turn and walk out again.

 Jongin’s parents had apparently arrived when he was away, and considering how raw Kyungsoo still felt about it all, he felt that it was not the best time to deal with them now. But, alas, he was spotted by Jongin’s sisters, and unable to escape.

 “You can go see him now, I think he wants to see you,” Kyungsoo said, looking pointedly at the sisters and more or less ignoring the parents.

 “And who are you?” Jongin’s father asked, annoyance evident in his voice. “Why are there so many people here?”

 “My name is Do Kyungsoo, you son’s ex-boyfriend, and I was the first on the stage after Jongin fell,” Kyungsoo said, feeling exhaustion dripping into his bones. He just wanted to sit down and breathe for a moment, and maybe sleep for a bit too. “All of these people gathered here are Jongin’s friends, who sincerely care for him, and are worried about his state. Unlike some others…”

 Gasps were heard, eyes were widened, but Kyungsoo simply did not care. He was so tired, and all he needed to do was sit down for just a little bit…

 “How dare you speak like that to us? We are his parents!” Jongin’s mother exclaimed, actually clutching her pearls.

 “Unfortunately, yes, you are. It is partially your fault that your own son is in the hospital, with the doctor suspecting self-harm because of depression, you know that right? How long have you been denying him his desires? How long have you controlled who he can and can’t be friends with? How long have you taken away the things he loves? Because I’m not the first one. Taemin might not even be the first one. But I sure as hell will be the last one, I will make sure of that!”

 It was as if someone had opened a floodgate, the words just spewing forth, and Kyungsoo could not hold himself back. Too much anger was pent up inside, too much frustration, and there was no stopping now.

 “We’ve always done what’s best for him!” Jongin’s father said, and his face was getting a bit red now.

 “By completely destroying him? By having him cry over how worthless he feels? By breaking him down over and over again? That’s not doing what’s best for him, that’s trying to force him into something he’s not, but you wish he is. You’re his parents, you’re supposed to love him unconditionally, no matter who he chooses to be friends with, or who he chooses to love! No matter his interests, unless they are harmful for his environment, you’re supposed to support him! In all he does! But don’t worry, if he chooses me, I will make sure to give him all the support and love he has missed out on during his life so far.”

 With that, Kyungsoo pushed past Jongin’s flabbergasted parents and collapsed down into a chair next to Taemin, who was looking at him in silent wonder.

 “Maybe you should head home,” one of Jongin’s sisters said, Kyungsoo not even having the energy left to open his eyes. Or care. “We’ll let you know of his condition.”

 Jongin’s parents agreed to his and left, and Jongin’s sisters left to see their younger brother, leaving Kyungsoo alone with his friends.

 “BOY, WHERE DID ALL OF THAT COME FROM?”

 “Baek, please keep it down, we’re in a hospital.”

 “Oh, I’m sorry, Kim Jongdae, but did not hear our baby Soo completely  _ whip _ Jongin’s parents? Huh?”

 “I heard it alright, but we’re still in a hospital. We’ll celebrate when we get home, okay?”

 “But I’m looking for answers, Dae, not celebrations! I want to know where he found the courage to call Jongin’s parents out like that!”

 Finally able to relax after a week of tension, Kyungsoo did not even try to stop the silly grin from appearing on his lips. He was just too happy right now.


	14. Chapter XIII (Part I)

 Jongin had to stay a few days at the hospital, and Kyungsoo spent most of his time there as well. The nurses quickly realized that Kyungsoo seemed to have a calming effect on Jongin, making him rest more and heal better, but they almost realized even quicker that they could not throw Kyungsoo out after visiting hours, so a bed was prepared for him to sleep in.

 That did not mean that Kyungsoo actually used it, though. No, he most often spent his nights in the younger’s bed, holding him and with his nose buried in the platinum blond locks to smell that sweet scent that lingered beneath the hospital smell. And Jongin himself clung to Kyungsoo, seemingly scared of letting the older go. Not that Kyungsoo minded.

 The only time Kyungsoo was actually away, was for Baekhyun and Jongdae’s performance. Of course they aced it, Kyungsoo expected nothing else, but it was still something he could not miss. And he almost cheered as loud as Chanyeol afterwards, taking pleasure in the way Baekhyun’s face reddened.

 And of course he filmed it, showing Jongin when he returned to the hospital.

 “Wow, they’re amazing,” Jongin mumbled, eyes glued to the screen. “They pulled it off really well, and their voices sound great together!”

 “Yeah, they are,” Kyungsoo muttered, unable to keep the jealousy back. He just hoped Jongin would not pay him enough mind to hear it.

 But of course Jongin did, as he paused the video and looked up at Kyungsoo.

 “Why are you pouting?” he asked.

 “Am not,” Kyungsoo quickly muttered, turning his face away since his cheeks had begun to heat up.

 “Totally is,” Jongin shot back, and Kyungsoo did not have to see his face to know that the younger was grinning. “Are you… jealous?”

 Kyungsoo refused to answer though, keeping his face hidden as well as he could.

 Then two arms snaked themselves around him, and he was pulled into Jongin’s embrace, lips against the side of his throat.

 “I forgot to tell you, I really liked your performance. I know you sang it for me, and you managed to perfect it. I guess you really was right, you achieved perfection through passionate feelings,” Jongin breathed against Kyungsoo’s neck, sending shivers and electricity down through the older’s body.

 “You managed the same, though,” Kyungsoo mumbled back. “You managed to find the passion as well…”

 “Because I was dancing for you.”

 “I know. Jongin, what are you doing?”

 Jongin, who had ghosted his lips up and down Kyungsoo’s neck, stilled.

 “Uhm. Nothing…?”

 Snorting, Kyungsoo pulled back so that he could look at the younger, raising a brow.

 “Sure… We’re in a hospital, and you’re still not well enough to strain your body,” Kyungsoo dead-panned.

 “I know, but it’s been a long time, and I’ve missed you!” Jongin whined, pouting and looking so adorable it was tugging on Kyungsoo’s heartstrings.

 “It’s been little over a week, you little pervert!” Kyungsoo laughed. “I’ve missed you as well, but I’m not going to risk someone walking in on us, or you falling into a coma or something because you worked yourself too hard. Just wait a little bit longer?”

 Jongin sank back against the pillows, pout deepening, but he did nod. Leaning forwards, Kyungsoo gave Jongin a kiss that was a bit less chaste than he probably should, and when he pulled back, the younger was blushing, his heart rate monitor having sped up a bit.

 “Well, that’s fun,” Kyungsoo smirked as he threw a glance at said monitor. “To know that I really do affect you.”

 “You hadn’t realized already?” Jongin asked, the effect a little lost as his voice was a bit breathless. “It’s me who has to worry about whether or not you’re affected by me!”

 Cupping the back of the younger’s neck, Kyungsoo gently pulled him forwards until he could put his lips against Jongin’s ear, and immediately, he felt a shudder go through the other.

 “Oh, believe me, I am  _ very _ affected by you. Trust me, there is nothing more I would rather do than drag you home with me and make up for the time we spent apart, and show you what you’ve missed during your years as a virgin, but I’m holding myself back since I don’t want you to collapse on me. Not in that way, at least. Is your heart okay?”

 The beeping had certainly increased, and Kyungsoo could feel Jongin’s breath speed up.

 “ _ Hyung _ ,” Jongin whined, and it sounded suspiciously like a moan.

 Grinning, Kyungsoo pulled back, letting Jongin lean back and try to calm down. The younger had pulled his legs up, and Kyungsoo almost felt a bit bad about it.

 Almost.

 “See, you’re not even affect by this like I am!” Jongin whined, and Kyungsoo raised both eyebrows this time.

 “How do you know? Want to see how much you’re affecting me?” Kyungsoo asked, and Jongin’s cheeks turned even more crimson. “I’m just better at hiding it than you.”

 In reality, Kyungsoo’s heart was beating like crazy, probably rivaling Jongin’s racing heart. The difference was that Kyungsoo was not hooked up to a monitor.

 Surprisingly, Jongin leaned forwards, over the edge, and placed a hand a bit too far up on Kyungsoo’s lap. It was now the older’s turn to blush, at both the younger’s sudden courage, and the shocking feeling of Jongin’s hand on his already slightly awoken member.

 “What are you doing?” Kyungsoo hissed, grabbing hold of Jongin’s hand and pulling it away, squirming in his seat.

 “You asked if I wanted to see, so I checked,” Jongin said, a look of innocence on his face. It did not last long, though, as his lips soon curved into a devilish grin. “I think I can agree that you’re as affected as I am…”

 “I can’t believe you,” Kyungsoo muttered, still holding on to Jongin’s hand.

 “Hey, you started it!” Jongin exclaimed, once more returning to pouting.

 “Maybe, but still,” Kyungsoo said, also pouting.

 They looked at each other for a while, competing in who could give the best pout, before they both burst out laughing.

 

 When Jongin was finally released from the hospital, it was decided that he would live with his oldest sister, since he did not want to go back to his parents. And his dogs were there anyway, and he felt that he really wanted to be close to them right now.

 Unfortunately, since Kyungsoo had spent so much time in the hospital, he had started to get behind in his classes, and had to spend most of his time studying, leading to him not getting to see Jongin. Jongin himself was still quite weak, and did not have the stamina to travel for very long distances, and so, they were unable to see each other for a while.

 They still made sure to talk every day, though, sending texts during the day and talking when they went to bed, most of the time through video calls. Kyungsoo was up pretty late every day, and Jongin refused to go to bed until the older would, no matter how hard Kyungsoo tried to make him go to bed. Though it was often Kyungsoo who was the first to fall asleep, Jongin spending some time watching him sleep before he ended the call.

 Then the weekend came, and Jongin, who had been recovering well, was almost bouncing out of the bed in joy as he woke up early on the Saturday.

 He was quite quickly disappointed, though, as Kyungsoo seemed to be sleeping in. Not that it surprised Jongin, considering how exhausted the older had been from his studying, but at the same time, he though Kyungsoo was longing to seem him as soon as possible as well.

 When lunch came and went without a single text, Jongin found himself lying in bed, pout on his face. He almost felt betrayed, actually, by Kyungsoo. They had decided to spend the day together, and now Kyungsoo was standing him up by ghosting him?

 Had he finally realized what a mess Jongin was, and decided to try to find someone better? Not that Jongin would blame him, but he thought Kyungsoo would have had the decency to at least  _ tell _ him if that happened.

 The thoughts in his head went around like a tornado as he kept over-thinking them, fears increasing. Holding his phone above his head, Jongin’s thumb hovered over the ‘call’ button on Kyungsoo’s contact (named ‘Jagi-hyung’), but he did not dare make the call. What if Kyungsoo would yell at him? Or tell him that they were over?

 The loud barking and yipping from his dogs surprised Jongin until the point of his body jerking, and his phone slipped from his grasp. Widening his eyes as he in slowmotion saw the electrical device come for his face, Jongin knew that there was nothing he could do but accept the pain.

 It hit him straight in the face, on his nose, making him let out a little shriek as his eyes teared up. It hurt even worse than when he fell on his shoulder the first time he met Kyungsoo, and that was a lot!

 The dogs kept up with their happy noise, and feeling slightly annoyed by it as the pain kept pulsing through his nose - he just wished it was not broken - Jongin threw his covers back and got up from the bed to stumble down to the terrace to see what his babies were so excited over.

 He was only half-surprised to see the door leading outside open and the white curtains softly billowing in the light breeze. Maybe his sister had come home and decided to spend some time with the dogs?

 Pushing the curtains out of the way, though, Jongin froze in the middle of his step out through the doorway. That body did not belong to his sister. Nope. He knew that body  _ very _ intimately, and it was definitely not his sister sitting there in front of him, cooing and laughing as the pups kept attacking him.

 “Hyung?” Jongin asked weakly. “What are you doing here?”

 Seemingly noticing that Jongin had joined them, Kyungsoo leaned his head back until he could see Jongin (though upside down). He gave a small smile, hinting at the heart shape his lip took on whenever he smiled properly.

 “Saying hi to the babies, of course,” Kyungsoo, before his smile turned into a frown, and he righted his head, opting to turn around to see Jongin instead. “What happened to your face?”

 Jongin’s hand instinctively flew up to his face, and he hissed as he accidentally booped his nose, making sending a shockwave of pain through him.

 Kyungsoo had already scrambled to his feet, dogs running around his legs, when Jongin answered.

 “I dropped my phone on my face,” Jongin said, voice heavily laced by the tears that were quickly gathering in his eyes. “The dogs scared me…”

 Kyungsoo, who were now standing in front of Jongin, hands on the younger’s biceps, bit down on his lower lip before he sputtered and burst out laughing.

 A bit miffed, Jongin crossed his arms over his chest and tried to frown - which was hard to do when the middle of your face hurt like a bitch.

 “You are the worst boyfriend ever,” Jongin muttered, and Kyungsoo sobered up a little bit, softly smiling at the younger.

 “I’m sorry, it’s just… You dropped your phone on your face. That’s pretty funny…,” Kyungsoo said, cupping Jongin’s cheeks and softly kissing the tear Jongin had not noticed had fallen away. “I would try to kiss the pain away, but I don’t think you would appreciate that now?”

 “I want it, but I know that it will hurt… So raincheck?” Jongin suggested, and Kyungsoo grinned as he nodded.

 “So, how long did you expect us to hide?” a voice said suddenly behind Jongin, making the younger jump - but thankfully not hurting himself this time. Spinning around, he saw Jongdae standing leaned against the doorway, Baekhyun mirroring him on the other side.

 “Yeah. I mean, hiding is fun and all, but I’d rather do it alone with Yeol,” Baekhyun said, shooting Jongdae a glare.

 “Hey, what do you think we would do alone, hiding in someone else’s house?!” a deeper voice exclaimed, Chanyeol popping up between Baekhyun and Jongdae.

 “Guess you’ll never find out now,” Baekhyun said in a sugar-sweet voice, winking at the giant whose face turned beet-red.

 “Wow, almost puke-inducing,” another voice groaned, and then Taemin popped up next to Jongdae.

 “Oh my god, how many of you are there?!” Jongin exclaimed, shock finally releasing him. “What are you doing here?!”

 “Well… We have a surprise for you,” Kyungsoo said, awkwardly scratching the side of his neck. “They were supposed to hide, but I guess they grew tired of it…”

 Before Jongin could say anything, Baekhyun gave a squeal, pushing himself between Jongin and Kyungsoo.

 “ _ Puppies _ !” he called out, collapsing on his back on the wood and letting the dogs have their way with him, giggling and laughing as he tried to pet them as they attacked him with kisses.

 “I can’t believe that they’re betraying me again…,” Jongin muttered, and Kyungsoo chuckled as he patted his poor boyfriend’s arm.

 “I’m sure they love you more than Baek,” Kyungsoo said to try to comfort, as Jongin squatted down and held out his arms.

 It did not take long before his embrace was filled with doggies, and Baekhyun was left lying alone on the patio, pout clearly visible on his face. Kyungsoo just saw a shadow blur past him, before Chanyeol was lying down on top of Baekhyun and attacking the smaller with kisses, much like the dogs had done, and drawing squeals and giggles from the man beneath him.

 “He kinda is like a giant puppy,” Jongdae muttered.

 “Totally gag-inducing,” Taemin mumbled.

 “Amen to that, brother,” Jongdae sighed. “I feel like such a third-wheeler whenever I hang out with them…”

 “Same,” Taemin said with a sad nod.

 Snorting, Kyungsoo went over to the two men, taking one of each man’s hand in his and clasping them together.

 “There you go, couple for the night. You are now boyfriends,” Kyungsoo said, voice somber.

 Jongdae and Taemin just stared at Kyungsoo for a moment, still holding hands as he let go of them, before Jongdae burst out laughing, Taemin’s lips twitching as well.

 “Well then, Tae, do you want to be my date for the night?” Jongdae asked, taking both of Taemin’s hands in his.

 “Of course, Dae! I would never say no to you!” Taemin said in a faked emotional voice, and as if on cue, they both attacked each other’s faces, a few centimeters between them as they made obscure kissing noises.

 “What have you done?” Jongin asked in a horrified voice, and Kyungsoo sent him an amused look.

 “What just happened?” Baekhyun asked, voice a bit breathless as he looked over Chanyeol to see what was going on.

 “They’re boyfriends for the night,” Kyungsoo answered. “How about we go, before they start imitating other things?”

 Jongin’s cheeks turned bright red, and Taemin - who had just let go of Jongdae - pointed an accusing finger at the youngest.

 “Hey, don’t try to play innocent! I live with Kyungsoo, remember! I know what you’re really like, Kim Jongin!” Taemin exclaimed. “And I was the one who gave him the video!”

 Immediately, three pair of eyes flew to Jongin, who reddened more under the scrutiny, as Kyungsoo face-palmed himself.

 “Video? Excuse me, but what kind of video?” Baekhyun asked, forcing Chanyeol to roll off of him and crawling towards Jongin - who were trying to hide behind his dogs.

 “It was not that kind of a video, it was a dance video!” Kyungsoo called out, glaring at Taemin who was grinning smugly.

 “Hey, I’m not the one who said it was basically porn!” Taemin said, grin turning into a smirk.

 Now it was Kyungsoo’s turn to blush, his words dying on his tongue like stammers.

 Jongin’s head flew up from behind his dogs, eyes wide and mouth dropped.

 “Let’s go!” Kyungsoo growled, trying to hide his embarrassment as he stomped back into the house, leaving the others behind as at least three of them burst out laughing. “Jongin, go get dressed!”

 Said man quickly got up and rushed after Kyungsoo - stumbling after him, really - taking a hold of the older’s hand and pulling him along up the stairs. As soon as they were in his room, Jongin slammed the door shut behind them, pushing Kyungsoo up against it in the same go.

 “Uh, what are you doing?” Kyungsoo asked, suspicion heavy in his voice, as Jongin caged him in with arms on either side of his head.

 “I’d forgotten about the video, in all the chaos…,” Jongin mumbled, looking way too serious (Kyungsoo secretly loved serious-looking Jongin). “So porn, huh?”

 “I said almost, actually,” Kyungsoo argued, holding up a finger.

 Wrong move.

 “Oh, really?” Jongin said, a mischievous glint in his eyes, before he leaned forwards and took Kyungsoo’s finger between his teeth, tongue lightly flicking over the pad of the digit.

 Kyungsoo gave a shaky gasp, the heat in his cheeks moving down, expanding as Jongin wrapped his lips around the finger and started to suck. His eyelids fluttered as he hummed around Kyungsoo’s digit, as if he enjoyed the taste. Kyungsoo just barely managed to bite back a moan, holding his breath to stop any noises that might want to break out.

 When Jongin finally let the finger go, letting it slip out with a soft ‘pop!’, Kyungsoo could finally breath again.

 “Jongin,” Kyungsoo growled as a warning, but the younger just smirked.

 “Kyungsoo,” Jongin breathed, inching his head forwards until their lips ghosted against each other.

 “You need to get ready so we can go,” Kyungsoo choked out, gulping as his heart sped up, breathing turning shallow.

 “Can’t it wait? I’ve been looking forwards to having you all for myself!” Jongin whined, and Kyungsoo let out something that sounded a bit like a chuckle, amazed by how quickly the younger changed between sultry seducer, to whiny kid.

 Taking a hold of the younger’s shirt, Kyungsoo pulled him closer, crashing their lips together and pouring all of his longing and passion into the kiss. When he finally pulled back, he was feeling a bit dizzy, and Jongin looked a bit dazed.

 “Come home with me tonight and I’ll give you whatever you want,” Kyungsoo murmured into Jongin’s ear, feeling the shivers running down the younger’s spine.

 “Oh,  _ god _ , yes,” Jongin practically moaned, and and it took a lot of willpower on Kyungsoo’s side to not just ignore the others downstairs, and instead throw the younger down on the bed behind him.

 “Get dressed. Comfortable clothes,” Kyungsoo mumbled, pressing a chaste kiss on those lovely plush lips.

 Jongin gave a groan, before pushing himself away and stumbling towards the closet. Kyungsoo found the younger quite amusing, trying to hide how affected he was, but at the same time Kyungsoo was just as affected and was having a hard time calming down.

 “Ah, we can’t go out like this, we looks like messes,” Kyungsoo huffed as he squatted down.

 “At least you look like a hot mess,” Jongin said as he pulled the shirt over his head, blessing Kyungsoo with an expanse of tanned skin stretched over rippling muscles, and the sight made the older’s mouth go dry.

 “That’s so unfair, both hot and cheesy,” Kyungsoo whined as he put his forehead against his knees, trying not to remember how that back had felt beneath his fingers… And failing completely.

 “Jagi, can I wear this?” Jongin asked, and Kyungsoo ignored his stuttering heart to look up.

 And banged the back of his head against the door as he was completely unprepared for the sight in front of him. Jongin was standing turned towards him, dressed in nothing more than his boxers, showing off his beautiful golden skin and strong muscles. And the evidence of their little playtime just before.

 “Jongin, I swear on everything, if you keep teasing me and not get dressed, I’ll tie you to the bed and tease you to the brink and not bring you over it until tomorrow,” Kyungsoo managed to get out in a hoarse voice. Jongin’s smirk turned into a frowny pout as he bended over and snatched something from the floor, giving Kyungsoo another amazing view, this one consisting of a nice butt attached to nice thighs. Well, everything about Jongin was nice, but still.

 “What happened to my shy, innocent Jongin?” Kyungsoo complained as he tried to look at anything else than said man in front of him. Not that he felt too bad when he failed, which he did a lot…

 “He got a taste of paradise and was then kept away from it for quite some time,” Jongin answered as he pulled on a pair of light-washed jeans with a few rips here and there, jumping a bit to get the pants on as quickly as possible.

 “You know, I don’t know if I actually missed the cheesiness,” Kyungsoo dead-panned, but Jongin just chuckled, knowing full well that it was a lie.

 “Nah, but really, my heart is beating so fast right now, and I’m shaking,” Jongin said, holding up a hand, and it was trembling enough for Kyungsoo to see it clearly from where he was sitting. “I’m playing brave, but I’m actually really nervous!”

 “Really?” Kyungsoo asked, smiling softly.

 “Really,” Jongin answered, walking over to Kyungsoo and kneeling in front of him, shirt in hand. “Here, you can probably feel it.”

 Jongin took one of Kyungsoo’s hands in his, placing it over his heart, and it was quite clear that he was nervous. His heart was beating so fast that Kyungsoo actually got a bit worried.

 “You could have fooled me,” Kyungsoo mumbled, and Jongin grinned at him. “Now, get dressed, I’ve finally managed to calm myself down a little bit.”

 Jongin gave a mock salute, before pulling the t-shirt over his head.

 “Do I need more…?” he asked when he was done, dragging a hand through his blonde hair and making it stand up. But Kyungsoo thought that it was quite charming, and left it like that.

 “Probably a warmer shirt, and maybe a jacket?” Kyungsoo answered, not wanting to give too much of the surprise away.

 Jongin nodded as he walked back to the closet, managing to drag a hoodie and a bomber jacket out of it.

 “How do you already have that much clothes?” Kyungsoo asked as Jongin walked over to him and extended a hand to help him stand up.

 “My sisters went and fetched most of my clothes,” Jongin said, shrugging to seem unaffected, but Kyungsoo knew that he was not.

 He was still hurting over his parents, and all that he had realized the last few weeks.

 “That was nice of them,” Kyungsoo said, slotting their fingers together and gently squeezing Jongin’s hand.

 Jongin just nodded, squeezing Kyungsoo’s hand back and smiling a bit.

 “Let’s go then?” he said, and Kyungsoo reached out to open the door.

 Just to have two people fall down onto the ground as the door swung open, groaning in pain as their bodies hit the floor.

 Kyungsoo and Jongin just stared at the two men on the floor in front of them - Baekhyun and Jongdae, of course - before looking up at Chanyeol and Taemin for an explanation.

 Chanyeol, who were standing with his back against the wall and arms crossed over his chest, just gave a shrug.

 “They wanted to snoop, and karma is a bitch,” Taemin sighed, shaking his head.

 “They ran away after the mention of porn, of course we want to know what would happen,” Baekhyun muttered as he managed to untangle himself from his roommate and stand up.

 Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “Because obviously we were going up here to watch porn and have sex.”

 Jongin choked on something - either air or spit - and Taemin began to chuckle.

 “Considering what we heard, it wasn’t too far from it,” Jongdae - who had rolled over onto his back - grinned. “Tying down, huh? Kinky much, Soo?”

 “That was a threat!” Kyungsoo hissed, before placing his foot on Jongdae’s chest and stepping over him.

 He did make sure to jump instead of actually step, so that he would not hurt Jongdae, but the other did let out an “oof!”, and Kyungsoo did not feel too bad about it.

 “Told you you shouldn’t mess with Kyungsoo, boyfriend,” Taemin snickered, before helping his boyfriend-for-the-day up after Jongin had jumped over Jongdae, pulled along by Kyungsoo.

 “Does it only have to be a threat?” Jongin mumbled to Kyungsoo as they were walking down the stairs, the rest of the gang slowly following.

 “What?!” Kyungsoo asked, turning large eyes on Jongin, who sheepishly shrugged.

 “I mean, could be fun to try…?” Jongin asked, trying to grin, but it looked more like a grimace.

 Kyungsoo glanced over his shoulder at the people following, before giving a slight shake of his head.

 “We’re not going to talk about this here and now,” he muttered back to Jongin, before resuming their descent.

 “I take that as a maybe!” Jongin said, and it sounded almost like a giggle.

 Kyungsoo cooed internally over how cute his boyfriend was, but externally tried to keep up a mask of stern annoyance.


	15. Chapter XIII (Part II)

 “Are you taking me to the beach?” Jongin asked suspiciously, looking around.

 He had been sitting next to Kyungsoo, head on the older’s shoulder, and dozing off every now and then even though the noise level was pretty high in the car. It easily became like that when you put Jongdae and Baekhyun in an enclosed space for some time, and apparently Chanyeol and Taemin were just as bad. It quickly became a sort of carpool karaoke, with Kyungsoo being forced to join in every now and then (mostly at Jongin’s request).

 But now they were finally on the last stretch of the travel, and Jongin was right - they were going to the beach.

 “We’re having a bonfire party!” Baekhyun exclaimed, clapping his hands and looking like a child on Christmas as he bounced up and down in his seat.

 “A bonfire party?” Jongin echoed, frown slowly materializing on his face.

 “Yepp, we’re going to have a fire, grill stuff, and Yeol even brought a guitar!” Jongdae grinned, looking as excited as Baekhyun. “To celebrate that you’re out of the hospital and stuff, it’s going to be awesome!”

 Jongin’s frown softened into a smile as he looked at all of them.

 “Thank you guys,” he said, but Kyungsoo shook his head.

 “Don’t thank us yet, thank us after if we manage to go through this without someone being burned or drowned,” Kyungsoo muttered, dragging laughter and offended gasps from the car’s inhabitants.

 “And here we are!” Chanyeol exclaimed as he parked the car. Doors immediately opened, and they all sort of stumbled outside, having been seated for a bit too long.

 “Ah, do you smell that? It’s the smell of freedom!” Jongdae said, standing with his hands on his hips and feet apart, dragging in an obnoxiously deep breath.

 “Smells like shit,” Taemin mumbled, before getting whacked upon the head by Jongdae.

 “It does not! It smells like salt and seaweed!” Jongdae exclaimed, starting to shove the laughing Taemin.

 “Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” Taemin shrieked after Jongdae started to tickle him. “Make up sex?”

 “No make up sex, help the rest of us!” Baekhyun ordered before Kyungsoo even managed, and both Jongdae and Taemin turned back to the car with pouts on their faces.

 They managed to get everything down in one go, and quickly settled down on the stocks lying around the firepit set up for these kinds of things.

 “Who’s going to light the fire?” Taemin asked, holding the stuff for it up.

 “Oh, me, me, me!” Chanyeol more or less screamed, stumbling over to Taemin and grabbing the things out of his hands.

 “I have a bad feeling about this…,” Kyungsoo muttered, and both Jongin and Jongdae slowly nodded, a bit hesitant.

 Chanyeol totally ignored them, pouring gasoline over the wood he and Baekhyun had gathered the same morning, and probably drenching it more than needed. Realizing the this might go bad, Kyungsoo got behind the stock he had been sitting on, pulling Jongin with him, and Jongdae and Taemin quickly mirrored them. Baekhyun got up and stood behind the stock he had been sitting on, though he did not hide behind it, apparently feeling almost as apprehensive as the rest of them.

 Well, except for Chanyeol. Chanyeol had a big, scary grin on his face as he lit the matches, and threw them on the logs.

 For a second, nothing happened, and Kyungsoo peered over the edge, wondering if maybe the wood was too drenched to catch on fire.

 It was not. Far from it.

 All of a sudden, a loud “WHOOSH!” was heard, and large flames erupted, probably reaching at least two meters into the air. Chanyeol laughed manically, even though Kyungsoo was sure that he must had lost at least his eyebrows, if not more.

 “ _ That was awesome _ !” Chanyeol shrieked as the flames died down a little bit, settling into something more along the lines of what they should be. He was clapping like a seal, still with both eyebrows intact.

 “Never again,” Jongdae hissed at Kyungsoo, who just frantically nodded in agreement as they resumed their seats.

 After some time, the flames died down a little more, and they deemed it safe to start grilling by then. Chanyeol had said that they could do it even earlier, but no one listened to his opinion on fire anymore.

 “So, we have a fair share of stuff, but I think we should save the marshmallows and that until later,” Jongdae said as he began looking through the several bags and coolers. “And we have drinks as well, ranging from soda to alcoholic.”

 “I’ll take soda, since I’m driving,” Chanyeol said, holding up a hand in still sounding a bit pouting.

 “Great, which one do you want?” Jongdae asked, holding up the different ones for Chanyeol to choose.

 “I’m going to take a beer, since we’re grilling,” Taemin said, quickly snatching it from the cooler in front of Jongdae.

 “I’ll take a beer as well,” Jongdae said, taking said drink and putting it next to himself. “Baek?”

 “Beer!”

 “Here you go! Soo, Nini?”

 “I’ll take a soda,” Jongin said, smiling a bit. “Don’t think I should drink alcohol in my condition…”

 “That’s very true,” Jongdae hummed, before holding up the sodas once more for Jongin to choose. “Last but not least - well, you’re actually the smallest of us all - what do you want, Soo?”

 Kyungsoo sent Jongdae a glare, before nodding towards the sodas that were being put down. “A soda, that one.”

 “What, you’re not joining us in alcohol?” Baekhyun asked, looking quite surprised.

 “Nope. I don’t feel like drinking today,” Kyungsoo said, taking the can being handed to him.

 “Wait, is Jongin following with us to the dorm?” Taemin asked, and as Kyungsoo nodded, he groaned. “Fuck, I need to get more drunk then…”

 Jongdae frowned, before he got a sort of far away-look, staring into the fire, something seemingly hitting him. Without a word, he pulled out two more cans of beers, putting one of them next to him, and giving the other to Taemin.

 “Oh, right, you have  _ those _ two,” Taemin snickered, nodding towards Baekhyun and Chanyeol, who were busy getting the food ready.

 “And Baek is a very non-shy vocalist…,” Jongdae muttered, opening his beer and chugging probably almost half of it. “At least Soo is quiet…”

 “Pfft, Jongin isn’t,” Taemin said, mimicking Jongdae and chugging, giving a grimace afterwards.

 “Okay, for the love of everything, can we stop talking about this?!” Kyungsoo finally called out, throwing a small stick towards the two men. “We don’t need to hear this!”

 Next to Kyungsoo, Jongin was sitting with his face buried against his knees, obviously embarrassed from how red his ears were turning. In a way, it was adorable, but at the same time, the older felt quite sorry for his poor boyfriend.

 “But we have to hear you?” Taemin shot back, lips pursed, and Jongdae basically giggled as he patted Taemin’s shoulder, seemingly very amused by the response.

 “Then why don’t you two move in together, so we can bring in our boyfriends?” Baekhyun deadpanned, apparently having heard it all.

 “We’re not allowed to, since we’re not in the same age group,” Jongdae said, taking another sip of his beer. “Otherwise I would have loved to, just to get away from all the noise…”

 “Okay, I think I have it easier than you, Kyungsoo and Jongin aren’t that bad,” Taemin laughed, leaning back on one arm.

 “I might have to come over tonight to find some peace, I’d rather take a bit of noise over a lot,” Jongdae said, faking sniffles.

 “My bed is always open for you,” Taemin said, sending Jongdae a wink and making the older laugh.

 “Oh my god, you are more puke-inducing than any of us,” Baekhyun muttered, putting two fingers into his mouth and mimicking puking sounds.

 “Well, excuse me for longing for some love since I don’t get any!” Jongdae bit back, turning on Baekhyun with a growl. “I’ve lived through twenty-one years without it, so let me have this moment!”

 “Ouch, that hurts,” Baekhyun gasped, placing a hand over his heart. “What about us, that never mean anything to you?”

 “That was a mutually beneficial relationship, stupid!” Jongdae laughed, throwing the twig Kyungsoo had thrown at him and Taemin at Baekhyun. “No feelings involved!”

 Chanyeol’s head snapped up, glancing between Baekhyun and Jongdae. “Excuse you, what?”

 “The winters were very lonely,” Baekhyun said in a gravely voice as he looked back at Chanyeol. “No, but seriously, just a couple of times to experiment. It was horrible.”

 “Absolutely disgusting,” Jongdae agreed. “Felt like I was doing it with my brother… Yuck!”

 “I’ve found out so many new things in such little time…,” Jongin mumbled, making Kyungsoo chuckle.

 “They have a way of surprising you,” he agreed.

 After that conversation, they finally began their barbeque, and soon the air was filled with the sweet, mouth-watering scent of food. It was quite quickly wolfed down, and even though they had made a lot, foreseeing this, it was all eaten.

 “I’m so full,” Jongin whined, head in Kyungsoo’s lap as he laid down on the stock.

 Absently, Kyungsoo combed his fingers through Jongin’s hair, making the younger coo in contentment. On the other log, both Jongdae and Taemin were laying down, heads propped up on each other’s shoulders. And on the last log were Baekhyun and Chanyeol - though Baekhyun was actually the only one sitting on the stock, whilst Chanyeol was sitting in the sand in front of it, leaning back and groaning. Apparently height came with the inability to stop eating even though you already were full.

 “You guys know we still have dessert, right?” Baekhyun snickered, and both Chanyeol and Jongin gave another loud groan.

 “Uh, we can wait a little bit with that, right…?” Taemin said, sighing a little bit. He was next tallest after Chanyeol and Jongin, so it seemed as if Kyungsoo’s theory was pretty close to the truth after all.

 Kyungsoo, Jongdae and Baekhyun all burst out laughing at how pained the three others seemed over the dessert prospect, as they themselves were not nearly as full. They did agree on it being a good idea to wait for a little bit at least, though, and instead opted for sitting around and just chill and talk instead.

 After a while, Chanyeol seemingly felt good enough to fetch his guitar, and sitting down with his back against Baekhyun’s legs, he began to lazily play around a little bit.

 “Is that ‘All of Me’?” Jongdae asked after a while, sitting up and accidentally making Taemin hit his head as it fell down from Jongdae’s shoulder. “Oops, sorry!”

 “Yeah, I’m feeling a bit inspired,” Chanyeol grinned, leaning his head back so he could look up at Baekhyun.

 “Wow, you are so cheesy,” Baekhyun muttered, hitting Chanyeol’s shoulder, but there was no mistaking the small smile on his lips, or the light blush on his cheeks.

 “That’s kinda cute,” Jongin piped up, and Kyungsoo smiled down at him.

 “That’s because you’re a bit cheesy as well,” Kyungsoo answered, brushing the hair away from the younger’s forehead. “Why did you bleach your hair, by the way?”

 Jongin craned his head back, looking up and trying to see his hair, making Kyungsoo chuckle a bit. Frowning slightly, Jongin shrugged, lying down comfortably again.

 “I wanted to make an impact, and thought the contrast might look cool,” Jongin mumbled, lifting a hand and dragging it through his hair. “Don’t know if I like it that much, though…”

 “You look good in it,” Kyungsoo said, taking a strand and tugging lightly on it. “You look good in everything, though, so I’m not really surprised…”

 Jongin grinned cutely up at Kyungsoo, before wrapping an arm around Kyungsoo’s back and burrowing his nose into the older’s stomach and cooing again.

 “Oh,  _ please _ , save it for later!” Jongdae complained, kicking in Kyungsoo and Jongin’s direction and making the youngest blush at the implicated action.

 “Stop bullying my boyfriend!” Kyungsoo called back, reaching out to smack Jongdae’s foot. “Stop trying to poison his innocent mind and drag it down into the gutter where yours is!”

 Jongdae just cackled as he kept engaging in his foot to hand battle with Kyungsoo, and in the end, the others were all getting pretty tired from the pointless war. Rolling his eyes, Jongin sat up and cupped the back of Kyungsoo’s neck, forcing him to face him and pressing their lips together. Immediately, Kyungsoo softened under his touch, his battle completely forgotten as something much better occupied his thoughts and lips.

 Deeming the distraction enough, Jongin pulled back and promptly laid down in Kyungsoo’s lap again, pressing his madly grinning and blushing face into the older’s stomach to hide it, pressing a hand against his wildly beating heart.

 “Well, holy shit,” Baekhyun finally managed, breaking the trance that had come upon them all at the sight of shy Jongin actually initiating intimacy like that.

 Kyungsoo just gave a small smile as he placed his hand on top of Jongin’s head, slowly petting his hair.

 After some guitar playing on Chanyeol’s part and singing on mostly Baekhyun and Jongdae’s part, they finally decided on dessert, and noticed that Jongin had fallen asleep. Well, Kyungsoo had known for a while, but chosen to not disclose this as he thought that the younger needed the rest.

 “Because you’re planning on keeping him up all night?” Chanyeol deadpanned, earning a shocked expression from everyone around him still awake. “What? I can’t make dirty jokes as well?”

 “But you’re who’s holding Baekhyun back! I thought you were an uptight dude!” Jongdae exclaimed.

 “That’s what it seems like since he’s a bit more outspoken than me, and a whole lot less shy,” Chanyeol explained, grinning at them. “Take it as a compliment, I feel comfortable enough to show the real Park Chanyeol around you!”

 “But do we really want that?” Taemin shot back, before grinning at the taller. “Kidding, it’s great, man. Just let it all out to us!”

 “Maybe we shouldn’t go that far…,” Baekhyun muttered, worrying his lower lip and laughing as Chanyeol looked up at him with a confused and scandalized expression. “I’m kidding, I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop myself! All of you is great, I mean it, and you should show it all! Okay, no, that can get misinterpreted, and even though you have a great body, I want it all to myself.”

 “Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you all, what with all the drama and stuff,” Kyungsoo began, letting his nails gently scrape against Jongin’s scalp and finding it amusing how the younger scrunched himself up in pleasure from it, “but dancers really are great with their bodies.”

 A collective gasp was let out as they all turned to stare at Kyungsoo, who only smirked at them.

 “I think it’s a good thing Jongin’s asleep for this, otherwise he might have blown up from embarrassment!” Baekhyun exclaimed, placing a hand over his heart. “When did my Kyungsoo grow up like this?!”

 “I’m awake…,” a quiet voice piped up, and Kyungsoo’s eyes widened slightly as he looked down at Jongin, who very much indeed was awake, looking back up at Kyungsoo with the smallest of smirks in place on his full lips. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

 “I don’t think you need my help on tainting the young boy, honestly, Soo,” Jongdae said. “You seem to be doing a pretty good job on your own.”

 “But seriously, he’s always been a bit perverted, just hiding it behind a cute, blushing facade,” Taemin said as he accepted the marshmallows from Baekhyun. “Guess he’s also getting comfortable enough to show it in front of us all.”

 “It’s going to end up with us all walking around naked around each other, because we’re ‘so comfortable’,” Baekhyun muttered.

 With a small growl, Jongin sat up and literally wrapped his entire body around Kyungsoo; both arms and legs securely locked around the older.

 “Nope, all mine!” he called out, and Chanyeol cooed over how cute he was, as Kyungsoo chuckled and patted Jongin’s back.

 After dessert, the conversations slowly began to die out, and they agreed that maybe it was time to end the little bonfire party. It had gotten colder, and even with the jacket on, Jongin was trembling a bit from the cold, his body still not well enough to properly keep him warm enough as it would have otherwise.

 Taking pity on the poor boy, the group began to pack themselves into the car, and head towards campus. It was a bit weird to walk in a group heading to almost the same place, but at the same time, they all found it quite funny how it all had turned out over the course of a few weeks. They had gone from a group of three people to a group of six just like that, and gotten even closer during it all.

 At their floor, Kyungsoo, Jongin and Taemin said goodbye to Baekhyun, Jongdae and Chanyeol, who continued on their way to their room. As the door was unlocked, Jongin offered Taemin a quick “Sorry!” before he dragged Kyungsoo into the older’s room, locking the bedroom door.

 “Are we a bit eager and impatient?” Kyungsoo snickered, but Jongin simply ignored the words, pulling Kyungsoo over to the bed.

 Pushing the older down on top of it, Jongin quickly joined Kyungsoo and placed himself sprawled out, half next to and half on top of, Kyungsoo.

 “Okay, I was seriously not expecting this,” Kyungsoo mumbled, but not really minding it at all. It was quite nice to finally lie next to Jongin in a real bed, just cuddling.

 “Wait, I’m re-energizing,” Jongin murmured against Kyungsoo’s neck, sending shivers down his spine. “My stamina isn’t as good as it used to be.”

 Kyungsoo gave a quiet laugh as he pulled Jongin closer, burrowing his nose in blonde locks and just inhaling the sweet scent of Jongin.

 “We can just go to sleep, you know,” he said after a few seconds, releasing the younger slightly.

 Immediately, Jongin’s eyes opened, and he climbed on top of the older, hovering above him.

 “I’ve been waiting for this for what feels like years, Soo. And after that little tease this afternoon I’ve been slightly on edge ever since. I won’t force you into something if you don’t want to, but I’ll at least try before giving up.”

 Chuckling, Kyungsoo reached up and pulled Jongin’s head down so he could place a scorching kiss on the younger’s lips, licking his own as he pulled back a little.

 “I won’t deny you, I’m just worried about your well-being,” he breathed, locking gazes with dark, hooded eyes.

 “Trust me, my sanity is very close to snapping,” Jongin answered, a bit breathless. “Oh, yeah, about that tying up business…?”

 Kyungsoo just laughed as he rolled them both over, attacking his boyfriend with kisses and showering him in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really should go through this and edit it, but it's like 50k... >< I also have more bonus chaps waiting to be finished, but no time, ugh...


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